


Setsuzoku

by WineLickingPasta



Series: Setsuzoku [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: EXTREME Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, I should never have posted this, I'm not using japanese honorifics right i think, It happens, M/M, Naruto has been replaced, OC insert, OOC characters, because i'm dumb, but I did, completely self-indulgent, don't take this seriously, how do i tag again?, i skip half of the plot details that exist in naruto because im lazy, i wrote this for my friends, lazy writing ™, op characters, people die, still dont want to always translate them, there is violence, though not entirely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 132,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22391269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WineLickingPasta/pseuds/WineLickingPasta
Summary: Ryuusuke, Nara Eon and Uzumaki Yuki did not expect what the world would throw at them. They get enemies, they get friends, they have each other, and then they don't.Basically: Naruto doesn't exist. The narutoverse is almost the same, but also not at all.
Series: Setsuzoku [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1611724
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Dreams are weird

Chapter 1.

Ryuusuke PoV .

Ryuusuke had never been the type to bother with other's opinions. He usually went by his day, completely ignoring looks or whispering comments about him. This particular morning however, people were more aggressive than usual. 

The villagers had never liked him, probably never would, but it never got physical. Sure, there had been some occasions where he was pushed out of a shop, dragged off by the arm or something like that, but no one actually hurt him. 

Today, they just weren't that discreet with their opinions. Sure, it was mostly because October was coming up and they  _ loved  _ to remind him that his birthday was the most hated day of the entire year. 

They muttered, knew he could hear them. Occasionally a kid or two would throw something at him, a rock or anything else, they also knew that their parents wouldn't berate them or yell. No one cared what happened to the "Demon kid."

Sure,  Ryuusuke did hold a demon, no doubt about that. Just a year or two ago, he discovered the deep dark secret of Konoha. Host of the  Kyuubi ,  Jinchuuriki ,  _ Demon. _ He knew the difference between a true demon and a jailor by now though. When he discovered the truth, he was distraught. He couldn't figure out why anyone would do that to him and why the  Hokage would keep it a secret. Although it did make sense, the looks, the whispers – his treatment in general. They all just confirmed that what he saw wasn't just a dream. 

He hadn't talked to the  Hokage about it. He didn't know how to bring it up, but he didn't see the point either. What he was and what he contained didn't matter and until the  Hokage saw fit, he would just let it be. 

Well, regardless of his personal problems he had something else to worry about.

Genin exams.

He wasn't a bad student, far from it. Neither was he bad at the practical parts of the curriculum, but the teachers weren't exactly fond of him. The only teacher who treated him kind of fairly was Iruka-sensei, but even he didn't look at him that much. 

Perhaps  Ryuusuke's lowkey smart-ass personality hadn't helped him much in the long run. Iruka usually reminded him that things would be easier if he had interacted more with his classmates, at least tried to make friends.  Ryuusuke knew that was a no go, sure, some of his classmates tolerated his presence, like the Nara kids, but most of them usually stayed away from him. 

Ryuusuke knew that it was their parents who told them to keep away, but he also didn't make an effort to interact with them. He was used to being alone, he wasn't going to go out his way to change that. 

Though, he supposed he would have to get used to it soon. Genin exams. Graduation, soon-to-be ninja. Three-man cells.

Well shit. 

He wasn't fond of anyone in particular in his academy class, but he didn't dislike anyone either. Well, except for some of the girls. There was a particular group of them who just couldn't seem to understand that they were trained to be soldiers, and that as soon as they leave the village walls, their life is at risk.

One of them, some civilian girl  Ryuusuke couldn't even name, had barely learned how to throw a kunai properly and the basic Academy Style  katas , no less know how to use them. She never threw straight and her  taijutsu was downright miserable.  Ryuusuke could beat her with an arm tied to his back.

Speaking of the academy, he was late.

Like super late.

Well shit.

He could've run, might still be way too late, but not as late as he will be now that he's just casually strolling down the streets. Some random kid who skipped school was shouting behind him, but  Ryuusuke paid him no mind as he saw the academy around the corner.

At this time, everyone was in class or behind the building at the training area. That just made it easier for  Ryuusuke to go down the hall in continued silence, but the closer he got to the classroom, the more he heard the ruckus his class made. 

Sighing, he opened the door, making the class fall into total silence as he entered. The others stared at him for a second before turning back to their books, they didn't resume talking at once though.  Shikamaru Nara, looked tiredly up at  Ryuusuke from his spot in the back of the class. 

"Well done, finally some silence." He drawled sleepily.  Ryuusuke shrugged. He headed over to a free spot closer to the back, he didn't really want to have excessive eye contact with Iruka. Speaking of teacher, the  chuunin was staring at him.

" Ryuusuke . You're late," he stated. His voice loud and clear with the newfound silence in the room. 

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Iruka-sensei. I was being slightly occupied on my way here."  Ryuusuke replied calmly. Iruka continued to stare at him for a while before turning back to the others.

"As I was saying, the  genin exam is tomorrow." Iruka started and began writing down some basic info on the blackboard.  Ryuusuke didn't really pay attention, this was the only thing they had talked about the entire week. 

The thing was, seeing how  genin teams were made up of three  genins and one  jonin instructor, everyone couldn't pass. There are limited  jonin in the village, not everyone can be used as  genin instructors either. The village needs them to do higher class missions and other tasks as well,  alt h ough that could also be given to  chuunins .

So, considering that not everyone can pass,  Ryuusuke made a list of those he believed would, which mostly consisted of clan children, with the exception of perhaps himself. 

First of all, Nara  Shikamaru . That was a genius hidden underneath a lazy endeavour, the kid was sleeping throughout all the classes, but he always and  Ryuusuke could swear to the gods, he always had the exact average score. Barely enough to stand in the middle of the class all the time during the entire year. 

Shikamaru had a cousin, who also had a higher percentage of passing than most. When you have a lazy Nara, you get a genius, when you have a motivated one … you have a monster. Nara Eon was such a monster.  Ryuusuke was sure of it.

Other than that, you had  Inuzuka Kiba. He was lacking in the theoretical part of the academy, but he was an adrenaline junkie – very efficient with his clan  jutsu and already had good cooperation with his  ninken , Akamaru. 

Akimichi Choji , best friend of  Shikamaru and fellow clan heir of their respective clans, was another powerhouse. The  Akimichi strong built gave him an edge in  taijutsu , he also had some good ninjutsu under his sleeve, not too shabby in the theoretical part, but not by any means good at it. He wasn't that good at showing his skill though, being frightened of hurting friends and comrades, even when just sparring with them.

Yamanaka Ino, clan heiress of the Yamanaka clan. Pretty smart, not too bad in ninjutsu, especially clan stuff, but not very good in  taijutsu . She spent more time on looks and popularity, but still held quite a high position in class rankings.

Uzumaki Yuki,  rivaling Hinata  Hyuuga in shyness, efficient in studying, ninjutsu and has the most incredible stamina for an ordinary person. She's stronger with ninjutsu than  taijutsu , but can outlast mostly everyone in the class if not knocked out early on. Yuki's mother came to Konoha before the fall of  Uzugakure , along with some others although unknown.

Hinata  Hyuuga , heiress to the  Hyuuga clan, although her position is presumably being threatened by her younger sister, according to some rumours among drunken  Hyuugas from the branch house. She's excellent in  taijutsu forms, has flexible movements and rarely gives up, but she doesn't have much power behind her strikes and is also afraid of hurting anyone – literally anyone, regardless if there is a spar or not. 

She also  have above average chakra control, she usually ranks amongst the highest in theoretical stuff in addition to an above average ranking in  taijutsu . Why her position was threatened was above  Ryuusuke's understanding.

Aburame Shino... there was not much to say about him. He's the clan heir of the  Aburame , keeps to himself, very logical, among the highest in theoretical, average in  taijutsu and ninjutsu. 

Ryuusuke wasn't a clan heir, like many other's in his class. He didn't even come from a clan as far as he knew. Orphaned the day he was born, the day he was sacrificed to be the jailor of the  Kyuubi . The Third claimed that he didn't know  Ryuusuke's parents, not even their names. 

Ryuusuke called bullshit. 

Why the Third seemed to like keeping secrets about him was a mystery, but  Ryuusuke wasn't one to question the  Hokage either, the old man probably had his reasons, although debatable. 

"Meet here tomorrow as usual, bring your gear and be as well prepared as you can. Remember, the Academy three;  Bunshin no  jutsu ,  Kawarimi  no  Jutsu and  Henge no  Jutsu . There'll be a small  taijutsu test against  Mizuki -sensei or me, along with an accuracy test with kunai and shuriken." 

There  was no other classes, no more revisions. Barely an information meeting and the possibility to prepare for the test with available academy instructors the rest of the day while the academy was still open. Most of the clan children went home, others figured that some  last minute practice couldn't hurt. Not that it would help them.

Ryuusuke stood up and walked towards the door when Iruka halted him. 

" Ryuusuke , come here." He called.  Ryuusuke complied with a sigh. He walked down the stairs towards Iruka's desk, his eyes resting calmly on the teacher. 

"Yes?"  Ryuusuke asked. Iruka's face showed concern, but mostly a mask of neutrality. He usually did that when addressing  Ryuusuke , treating him like a student rather than a person. Not student as in someone you want to nurture and care for, but student as in someone you simply have to learn the curriculum to and berate them for bad behaviour. There was a slight case of objectification, but  Ryuusuke didn't comment on it. It probably was Iruka's way of coping, for teaching the  kyuubi jinchuuriki .

"Tardiness is not a proper trait for a ninja, this is not the first occasion that this has happened. Also, what did you do? Look at yourself." Iruka stated.

Ryuusuke took in the appearance of his short and trousers, sure, they weren't clean. Dust and dirt was scattered across him, probably due to those kids who threw stuff at him on the way here.

"I was busy training, lost track of time."  Ryuusuke said absentmindedly. Iruka's eyebrows furrowed. He stacked his papers on his desk, leaving them neatly on the corner.

"Is that so? Well, I hope you do well on the test tomorrow then." Iruka stated.  Ryuusuke looked at his teacher, nearly guilty.

"Iruka-sensei." 

"Yes?"

"Do you hate me?" 

The question hanged in the room, bringing a complete silence. Iruka was frozen on the desk for just a moment. He looked up at  Ryuusuke , whose head was hanging, eyes on his feet. 

"What makes you think that?" He asked carefully.  Ryuusuke shrugged slightly.

"Everyone else does, I mean I understand but- I just wanted to know."  Ryuusuke grimaced, he looked up and gave Iruka a stupid grin. "This is not like me is it? Sorry for wasting your time, I'll be sure to not be late tomorrow."  Ryuusuke said before Iruka could reply.

He hurried towards the door, leaving Iruka alone in the classroom.

_ 'Well, that was stupid' _ .  Ryuusuke thought as he sped towards his apartment. It wasn't often he questioned his relations with others, he knew he was absent, a cold and mostly uncaring person. But there was some kind of comfort with Iruka, the only adult to actually do something about his wellbeing. 

The only one who might care. 

Ryuusuke just wanted to know, for sure, if Iruka was just pretending or not. It was stupid, he knew that. A childish wonder of some sort of belonging. He knew, as a  jinchuuriki , that was most likely not possible. 

Information about  jinchuurkis was kept a tight secret in most villages, but with some digging in the restricted sections in the library, reserved for  jonin or ANBU, but not that well-guarded, helped  Ryuusuke understand more of his condition.

Another look in some scrolls hidden in the  Hokage tower, gave him even more information. He almost got caught when he was there, he escaped a certain capture by slipping out of the room with the transformation  jutsu . 

For some reason, he figured that the  Hokage knew it was  Ryuusuke and that he had been there, but he wasn't sure. If he knew, wouldn't he have summoned  Ryuusuke and yelled at him or something? Or didn't he have the time to deal with the him?

There wasn't much about the  jinchuuriki though. Usually isolated, hated by most.  Jinchuuriki meant human sacrifice or something like that. Weapons and tools for their village.

The only comfort  Ryuusuke had was that the  Jinchuuriki and the Biju they contained were not the same. He had been scared, that he was actually just a demon. For a while, he contained himself to his room, pondering about this, it was then he had his first real conversation with the  kyuubi .

He had met the  Kyuubi once before that, after getting lost in the woods and passing out due to the lack of water and heat coming from the warm Konoha summers. He had seen the  Kyuubi , knowing how it looked like due to illustrations seen in academy books. It was nowhere near the illustrations, but the nine tails and angry growls was more than enough for  Ryuusuke to know. He believed at first that it was a dream, but then he started digging. It was after many books and legends not seen as important enough to hide them away from the public, that  Ryuusuke figured out it was possible to seal a  biju . 

He just went up from that, more and more  rumors , more and more legends and information. In the end, it just  lead to that.  Jinchuuriki .

The second time he met the  Kyuubi , during his meditation, they'd argued.

A lot.

Ryuusuke had been rightfully pissed, and the  Kyuubi came back at him with pure fury. The  kyuubi refused to give him any answers, but nonetheless tried to tempt  Ryuusuke into opening the seal so he could get his 'revenge' on the village.

It was a little tempting, but a horrible decision. He knew better than to trust a demon. 

And with that,  Ryuusuke slammed the door to his apartment behind him. Emotions swirling inside him. He looked around, an empty silence filling the place.

He should probably talk to the Third, but it could wait till tomorrow. Right now, he wanted to take a long nap before maybe doing some light training to prepare for the test tomorrow.

Eon  PoV .

Mornings w ere n't Eon's strong point. She wasn't as lazy as her family counterparts, but regardless, the Nara genes resided within her, helping with her wants to stay in bed and just forget about the academy for one day.

Yoshino, her aunt, yelled loudly though. It was aimed at  Shikamaru , she knew that, but it helped her motivation to get up in the mornings. 

Living with her aunt and uncle wasn't that bad. They lived at the Nara compound, the clan heads house. The compound was old, and there was actually a section which was  usally given to servants the clan heads used to have, but as of late, it remained empty.

This had become Eon's home. An entire part of the clan heads house, built like an apartment for four. There was a small kitchen, middle-sized bathroom, three bedrooms and a suitable sized living room. One of the bedrooms had been turned into a small training hall, private for Eon rather than using the training ground outside, where most of the clan practiced at numerous occasions. Another room had been turned into a study, books and scrolls, along with a large desk used for Academy homework and additional studying. 

The last bedroom was of course, her bedroom. It was quite spacious, but not as much as the clan head and heir's rooms. Although, an entire apartment was way more than enough for her. She had dinner and breakfast with her aunt, uncle and cousin, but she usually didn't spend time there. It was, a little weird. She didn't quite feel like it fit her, being with them.

Her parents had died during the  Kyuubi attack, amongst many others. She knew that several of her classmates had lost parents or siblings in the attack as well. It didn't bother her that much anymore. Sure, it was sad and she sometimes wished her parents was alive with her, but she had grown used to it by now and had no lack of affections from her fellow clansmen.

Yet, the hollow feeling of not actually having a family was there.

Dragging herself out of her bad, she quickly did her normal morning routine. She usually just got ready for the academy and used whatever spare time she had to train or revise for a test. Tomorrow was the  genin exam, so revising the academy three had been a part of her morning for the last week. 

After some light training she headed for breakfast. Yoshino and  Shikaku was sitting there, although  Shikaku looked barely awake. 

" Mornin '" Eon said as she sat down at the table, helping herself with the breakfast Yoshino had so kindly prepared.

"Good morning, Eon." Yoshino replied sweetly before turning the other way.

"SHIKAMARU! WAKE UP!" She hollered.  Shikaku rubbed his temples tiredly. Eon smiled slightly. It was not unusual for  Shikamaru to oversleep, rather, it was the usual. If  Shikamaru was actually on time... well the moon could just fall from the sky that day.

She didn't spend much time at breakfast, she preferred to be one of the first at the academy, it was quieter, calmer. It gave her time to think.

So , there she was, walking down the streets of Konoha. It was late August, soon October. At October 10 th , a festival of a kind was held to honour the Fourth  Hokage's sacrifice and all the others risking their lives or losing them defending the village against the nine-tailed fox. 

Most of the children nowadays didn't know the reason behind the festival, so it was treated like just that, a festival. The adults let them have their fun. It wasn't as if people wanted to keep the sorrow alive, but most dropped by the memorial stone during the day anyway. 

Eon was at the memorial stone in the mornings, but didn't spend much time there either. She traced her parents' names on the stone, offering a small thought or prayer before heading home or to the Academy, depending if they were allowed to have the day off or not. 

None of her classmates was particularly fond of the date, seeing how many of them lost relatives they never got to know. Several of them was orphaned due to the attack as well. 

And sooner rather than later, she found herself in front of the academy. It was eerily quiet at this time of the day, most of the others usually wasted their time as much as they could in the morning. Eon could bet that  Shikamaru wasn't even awake. 

She walked into the building, heading towards the empty classroom . She wasn’t surprised by the lack of other people, occasionally she could hear some teachers walking to their offices or classrooms chatting cheerfully as they started the day. 

It wasn’t that long before other students started to enter the room. Some civilian kids who were only good in theory. Eon had no doubt that they wouldn’t be able to graduate. Book smarts won’t help you if you can’t aim or do a simple replacement technique.

The kawarimi, something Eon had mastered quite early considering her age. Replacing herself with other things took some chakra depending on the size and distance, but not as difficult as she’d imagined. Many others followed, but the ones far behind was the Uzumaki kid and that no-name orphan  Ryuusuke .

Both seemed to have the chakra control of toddlers, but when they first released chakra it was a huge mass of it. It took them long before mastering the  jutsu . 

Eon didn’t have so many opinions about her classmates, they weren’t that noticeable, really. Although she was quite annoyed with several of them because of their behaviour.

Take Kiba, for an example. The adrenaline junkie, never know when to stay quiet. Brash, reckless, late, skipping class. He had no discipline and always went up doing stupid things. If it was one thing Eon couldn’t stand, it was when people behaved stupidly.

Speaking of stupid… Kiba just came in, carrying with him fifty percent of the noise which was ever present in this classroom. Eon fought the urge to groan. 

After another ten minutes of utter chaos, which always was followed by when the civilian boys joined in on Kiba’s ruckus, Iruka-sensei came in.

“Finally.” Eon muttered. She straightened her back as Iruka stood before his desk, waiting for the others to find their seats. Futilely. 

After a couple of minutes, he finally gave up. 

“BE QUIET AND FIND YOUR SEATS!” He shouted. She could almost feel  Shikamaru’s sigh as he woke up from yet another nap. Eon could swear that Iruka and Yoshino shared the same genes, both having really loud voices and being one of the few who could actually wake  Shikamaru up.

Iruka started explaining that they didn’t have much school-time today, because he and the other teachers had to properly organize the test tomorrow. That they would be given time to practice at home or with available instructors after school here until the academy closed.

He then started to revise shortly the subjects the exam would cover for about ten minutes, which had been like the hundredth time this week, before he was interrupted by the door.

The class, which had previously been talking over Iruka and ignoring his lesson, had turned silently towards  Ryuusuke who was now standing in the door.

‘ _ stupid. _ ’ Eon thought before  tuning them out. She knew most of the things the  genin exam covered, although it didn’t make her less worried. She wasn’t nervous, but some nerves were getting to her. She wanted to do well, which was a given, but she had a small feeling that those ten percent chances of her messing up something could shake her score up completely.

She wasn’t worried due to the standards of her class in general. 

Sure, the clan children could hold their own, but they weren’t by far especially good compared to other  genin or ninja. Compared to academy students, they might be one of the strongest batches for a long time. 

It wasn’t before Iruka had explained the test simply again for who knows how many times by now, that they could leave. Eon and  Shikamaru was to head home, because  Shikamaru had to train with Ino and  Choji due to the Ino- Shika -Cho formation. How they were so sure they would come on a team was beyond Eon, but she didn’t care that much. It was a logical tactic, seeing how successful the previous teams with their parents before them had been.

Eon joined them for the training, it was light but a completely different thing than training by yourself. She got some insight on the fighting style of two other clans which probably would help her on, especially considering  Shikamaru being a tactic,  Choji being a powerhouse and Ino being a  genjutsu /long-ranged fighter.

Although they weren’t that good at those things yet.

Shikamaru was lazy, barely wanted to do this at all. Usually gave up before he had even begun doing anything.  Choji didn’t want to fight and Ino was more busy of not getting her clothes dirty. In the end, Eon was mostly doing katas or practicing the academy three.

Although, regardless of their flaws regarding the academy. Ino,  Choji and  Shikamaru were her first friends. She didn’t hang with them that much, but whenever they came with their parents due to the  Akimichi , Nara and Yamanaka friendship, they had a good time together. 

That usually what happens when you grow up with someone. 

Other than that, Eon didn’t have much contact with other people her age. She preferred to be alone actually. When she headed back to the compound, she started to wonder who she would be on a team with, who her instructor would be and so on.

It was those thoughts that occupied most of her evening and night.

Yuki  PoV .

Yuki had quiet mornings. She lived in a moderate sized apartment with her mother in the better parts of Konoha , which were really quiet most of the time. Her mother was much like herself. Quiet, reserved, but her mother was also very kind. 

Her mornings were usually just of preparing for the academy and eating breakfast, nothing too much yet enough to satisfy. 

She knew that the  genin test would most likely be hard, and uncertainty was not an uncommon  feeling. She wanted to make her mother proud, and her late father as well. Her father, Uzumaki  Takumi , was a good shinobi. Proud, strong and on the front line when the Nine-tails attacked the village. 

Yuki didn't know him.  There  were several pictures of him though, and her mother told some wonderful stories about him. A small part of her still wanted to get to know him though.

After eating, she headed towards the academy. The cool air of the later parts of autumn hit her as a well the moment she stepped out of her home. She usually wasn't late, but she never went too early either. She liked staying in the safe and warm comfort of her bed, but she liked being on time as well. 

Yuki had noticed all the people in her class, noting who they were and how they act pretty well. 'Know your friends, and your enemies.' Her mother had said once when their conversation had turned a little more serious due to the upcoming  genin exam. 

She took it to heart, but had gotten to know her classmates pretty well. Her fellow female students  was always kind to her, so were the boys. Although their affections went a slightly different way. The only ones she hadn't talked with all that much was  Shikamaru and his cousin,  Choji , Kiba and  Ryuusuke . The four boys usually skipped class, but  Ryuusuke didn't hang with them.  Shikamaru's cousin Eon was just  a little bit more reserved. 

They had talked, but only briefly before Yuki was dragged  of f with her female friends, not that it bothered her all that much. Although she did feel slightly sorry for Eon being alone all the time. 

Regardless of that, the class had grown together,  whether they liked it or not. She remembered the time when some of the boys would pick fights with  Ryuusuke and the boy would gladly accept,  usely standing victorious in the end, although being gifted with several detentions or other tasks.

As she entered the classroom, she wasn't surprised by the  number of students already filling the seats . There weren't many minutes left before the class started, after all. Iruka was already seated at his desk, neatly stacking papers which probably covered what they were going to talk about.

The class continued to chat and create the normal ruckus they  usually had, it wasn't like Yuki made lots of noise coming inside. She sat down next to Hinata, one her closer friends. They had connected due to them both  just silently standing by,  occasionally chatting with  each other after spars.

Considering today was their last day as a class, Yuki could already feel the small feeling of loss. She had grown close to these people and after tomorrow they probably wouldn't see  each other that much at all.

Being a  genin wasn't just some childish dream, it was a job. A job that required risking your life. Not many had realized it yet, but it was something Yuki was told by her mother early on. It was a decision you would have to stick with for life, you can't just retire from being a ninja. 

There might not be a war now, but there had been certain  tensi ons anyway. They say that this generation doesn't know war, which might be true. But the fact remained that the other nations still held grudges against each other and smaller nations held grudges against the large ones. 

Yuki sighed, she usually stayed as positive as she could, but  the upcoming exam had her on edge. Her thoughts were interrupted when Iruka yelled loudly to silence the class. He told them about today's plans and where and when to meet tomorrow. 

Yuki were going to stay at school after they were allowed to leave. She had promised some of the civilian kids to help them get in some final practice. She honestly felt like she should be practicing herself a bit more, but couldn't help saying yes to her friends. 

Sakura  Haruno was one of these friends. Sakura was a bright girl, in addition to her pink  colored hair she had emerald green eyes. But she could be really loud and demanding. She usually didn't bother Yuki or the other girls, but she was rivalling with Ino and others for the 'hottest guys in class'.

Yuki wasn't usually  bothered by them due to her not actually pursuing guys, not at the moment anyway. Surely, when they're twelve turning thirteen, thoughts like that do occur. The thing was that knowing that they're in the middle of pursuing a  life- long career and that this test was actually a key point to when  they  could start... Well the priority weighed towards her studies rather than the pursuit of some  short- lived love.

Sakura wasn't that good at the practical parts of the academy. Her  taijutsu was barely passable, but her traps  and her aim weren't that bad. She was very smart though, probably one of the smartest. The smartest if you didn't count the Naras.

Yuki wanted to help her, but Sakura didn't really seem into it anymore. As children, everyone was determined to become ninja. It was like a dream to become a superhero. Sakura had been very motivated by a crush she had on Uchiha  Sasuke , but when  Sasuke suddenly quit the academy she had been much less enthused. 

Some people said  Sasuke quit the academy because of his clan's extinction. That he couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. Others say that his brother  Itachi came back to finish the job he started, to kill all the Uchiha. 

Yuki didn't have an opinion. She figured that  Sasuke could do whatever he wanted to, but it wouldn't be nice if he was … dead.

Her thoughts  was once again interrupted, this time by the door opening. Looking back, she noticed  Ryuusuke standing in the door. He wasn't looking to well, if she had to be honest. His bright blonde hair was even more tangled than usual. One could see traces of dust lingering on his locks. His clothes matching. It looked like he had decided to lay down on the road, rolling the entire way here. 

Everyone could tell that it  defin ite ly wasn't just being occupied. The one thing that was for certain, was that Ryuusuke and Eon were the mysteries of the class. 

Eon with her calmness, how she always seemed on top of the situation. She occasionally seemed like this  otherwor l dly being. Yuki wasn't sure if she had ever been bad at anything during their time at the academy. Sure, she might not be a high-level ninja yet, but it was as many said.

Naras are pure monsters when they have a goal.

Ryuusuke sat down on the desk behind her. She could almost feel Iruka's gaze on him, seeing how Ryuusuke was right behind her, Iruka's gaze was sent her direction, almost.

Ryuusuke was another mystery. Everyone knew he had no parents, but he had no clan or last name either. He was just  Ryuusuke . He was treated badly by children and adults alike, no one pretended to like him. Yuki didn't have anything personally against him, but he didn't exactly seem nice either.

He always got in fights, always had some bruise or injury. He had even gone out his way to fight with a  chuunin once and got a severe reprimand from the  academy's principal and Iruka, seeing how attacking a ninja was a pretty severe offence, but one can't exactly put charges on a kid.

She heard that he nearly got expelled, but for some reason the  Hokage had been brought into it and  Ryuusuke was back in class the next day as usual.

Ryuusuke had mentioned once when he and some of the other boys had been talking about families that the  Hokage was the closes person he had in his life. Yuki knew how busy the  Hokage was, so that did say a lot about  Ryuusuke's connections. 

He was the only one in their class who lived completely alone.  Shikamaru explained that Eon lived in a pretty excluded part of his house, and that they didn’t exactly live together – but it still wasn't the same. Yuki figured, that she knew quite a deal about most students, but if they knew anything about her, that was unknown.

Soon Iruka dismissed them, allowing them to leave. She could hear  Ryuusuke being called back as they went to the doors.

She met up with Sakura and some other kids at the training ground behind the academy. They were chatting happily together, gossiping about things that had happened or their excitement for being a  genin .

Yuki joined in soon enough, although she tried to remind them that they had to train. They waved  her off and told her that they would start in just a minute, so Yuki started.  And she had trained a good twenty minutes before they joined her. 

She tried to explain the  jutsu and academy katas to them as well as she could, but it was a little late to start practicing this stuff when the test was tomorrow. It was about using your body and energy in ways that it wasn't quite used to yet – which meant that they couldn't just start the very day before they absolutely needed it.  Regardless of the futility of the situation, Yuki continued to explain and help. 

She  got home around seven in the evening. Her mother was preparing dinner as she walked in the door. And  thus, came her evening routine. Eating a lovely dinner with her mother before practicing for the test a little bit more, reading a good book and then falling into the safe and warm comfort of her bed.

Ryuusuke , Eon and Yuki woke up with a start. The three of them sitting across each other somewhere  unkn own , somewhere dark. It was only lit by a candle looking light in the middle. It didn't do more than giving the three a possibility to look at  each other.

Or what they believed was  each other.

Ryuusuke was only in a pair of pants, a seal visible on his stomach which glowed eerily red. On his chest was another mark, a circle with a vertical line across it. One half was black while the other was white, split horizontally in the middle. 

Eon and Yuki's hands were both stuck in front of them, their palms open and showing the insides of their hands towards the candle.  Eon's hand had a  cresc ent moon, black in  colour, while Yuki's was like a sun which was coloured white.

The three of them stared at  each other before they blacked out.

The next time Yuki opened her eyes, she was back in her bed. Although slightly shaken by the weird dream, she checked her right hand  awkwardly . There was no mark. She wasn't surprised really, but some part of her felt like it was more to the dream than what she could understand at the moment. It didn't take long before she fell asleep once again. The next morning, she didn't remember a thing.

\--

The person who did remember, was Eon. 

Eon had studied many things, but the marking on her hand in that dream was  simil ar to the one Yuki had on hers and the mark  Ryuusuke had on his chest, those were in style. The mark that wasn't in style, was the elaborate drawing on  Ryuusuke's abdomen.

Which she now later had figured had to be a seal of a sort. And of that size and complication, containing something huge. Not only did it glow red, but it seemed like something no academy student could do, perhaps not even a  genin or  chuunin . 

If she remembered correctly, the only ones in the village capable of doing seals with that kind of  difficulity , was the  sannin or the  Hokage . 

Whatever  Ryuusuke was hiding, she had just been given a piece. Now she was curious. And a motivated Nara is a fucking monster.


	2. Hiruzen has made a mistake™

Chapter 2. 

Ryuusuke 

When Ryuusuke woke up, he didn't know if he should be relieved that the dream only seemed like just that, a dream. The mark on his chest he'd noticed was not there, well, except for the seal on his stomach. It was only visible when he was using chakra, but at least it didn't glow in that red colour. 

Shaking of his slight confusion, he dressed himself and got ready for today. 

The Genin Exam. 

Ryuusuke was actually awake at an early hour, this time wanting to avoid all the villagers without wasting energy. Maybe he could positively surprise Iruka for once. 

Ryuusuke wasn't worried. He had all the three jutsu under his belt, albeit after hours and hours of practice. When he made a clone, it felt like trying to take a spoonful of water from a waterfall – without spilling a drop. 

Ryuusuke noticed that Yuki had the same kind of problem, so although they didn't exactly train together, they both had that sort of understanding towards it. Speaking of Yuki, he noticed her on the street outside his apartment. 

Which reminds him that he should get going. Jumping out the window and up to the roof, Ryuusuke was faced with the bitter autumn cold. Yuki was probably walking towards the academy as well, why she chose this path was beyond him... well technically below, but details. 

He didn't go down. He had no significant urge to do so. He just wanted to go to the academy, pass the test and become a genin. If they ended up on a team, then they would know that tomorrow. 

With that thought, he sped off towards the academy. 

Or, he tried to. With a small slip from his control, the chakra he'd gathered under the soles of his feet wavered, sending him crashing down between the buildings once he tried to jump over. Landing on some abandoned mattress, bouncing off and onto the ground before groaning loudly. Had he'd been lucky, no one would've noticed. 

It seemed like he wasn't. 

When he got off his stupor, Yuki was standing a couple of meters away from him. She was staring at him curiously, but there was something underlying there in that look. Like she tried to connect some dots he didn't know. 

"What're you looking at?!" He spat out as he stood up. Her eyes widened slightly as she turned away quickly. Ryuusuke rolled his eyes and stood up. He took in his clothes. They weren't that bad. They still carried some of the dust and dirt from yesterday, but regardless wasn't too bad considering he just fell of a building. 

He walked over to Yuki, not looking directly at her. 

"I'm sorry." He admitted. It didn't sound very considerate, but he knew that Yuki, and Hinata for that sake, were both very shy. He didn't _like_ to be rude, he just occasionally was. 

Yuki looked slightly surprised at the apology, no doubt about that. He shook his head. 

"Look, I just don't want to get late. I gotta go and stuff." He rambled before starting to walk. Regardless of how she interpreted his statement, she followed silently. 

That was the first time Ryuusuke had walked with anyone in... well ever. 

Oh wait, he did walk with the Third when he had the time, which was... nearly never. 

It was nice though. The villagers didn't dare to do anything, no one tried to throw anything when he was with someone else. Although the looks and glares weren't gone, he just hoped Yuki wouldn't be bothered. 

On their way, they saw Eon. Which was really strange. Eon was never this late. She was always in class at the first possible time. 

She noticed them and gave them a look. Ryuusuke wasn't really sure how to describe it, she was staring at them intensely. Especially Ryuusuke, it was a little unnerving. 

"Eon, good morning." Yuki said sweetly. _Of course_ , Ryuusuke should've known Yuki was the perfect Ice-breaker. Everyone liked Yuki. 

"Good morning." Eon replied. She continued to stare. 

"Well, as much as I'm used to being late – we're really being late if we continue to stand awkwardly in the street, and honestly it's not the safest position of them all." Ryuusuke said and ushered them on. He could almost feel Eon's annoyance on being ushered, but he couldn't find a reason to care. 

They made their way to the academy, and one could imagine Iruka's surprise when the three of them walked in together, without considering Ryuusuke was actually on time – for the first time! 

"Morning, Iruka-sensei." Yuki said kindly. The three of them didn't sit down together, and went to their usual seats. 

After another ten minutes or so, everyone in the class was gathered and Iruka stood before them, papers in hand. 

"Okay everyone, this is how the test will proceed. First, a written test which will do you when the clock strikes nine in just a couple of minutes. I'm going to hand them out now. Don't turn the paper before I tell you to." Iruka said and proceeded to hand out the test sheets. 

It wasn't that difficult, some simple history stuff. Stuff like, who was the first, second, third and fourth Hokage. 

Who's the current Hokage. " _Whoa boy, who knows that",_ Ryuusuke thought ironically. He struggled slightly with some of the history stuff, like who fought in the third ninja war and so on, but he thought that he did pretty well when he finished. 

He noticed Eon and Shikamaru waiting with bored expressions. Of course, all the Naras finish first. 

Iruka collected the papers and waited for them to settle down again. After a few minutes of silence he smiled. 

"Good, now you can all follow me outside to the courtyard." 

Ryuusuke felt a slight grudge come when he saw Mizuki standing in the courtyard. Iruka went over to him, giving a small message before turning back to his students. 

"We're going to split you in two groups, one half will go with me and the rest of you will go with Mizuki. Mizuki will do the taijutsu matches and I will grade your accuracy and weapon handling test." Iruka continued to list the students which were going where. 

Luckily for Ryuusuke, weapons were first. The points were given by where you hit, while being subtracted with the technique you used to throw them. 

One point for bull's eye, a half point for anywhere else and zero points for miss. A half point was subtracted when you threw it awkwardly or plain wrong. You had a total of thirty points, fifteen thrown with kunai and the other fifteen with shuriken. 

Ryuusuke did pretty well, he missed twice with shuriken, none with kunai. He hit a couple of bull's eyes, but it was difficult to see from this distance. 

Eon and Yuki was in the other group, so he didn't know their scores. After waiting for a while they switched. Ryuusuke was usually placed last or in the middle. It depended whether or not they counted the last names. 

He was in the middle this time, waiting restlessly for his turn. The taijutsu test was graded a bit specially. 

It you got knocked out at once, you were awarded no points. You were given ten if you managed to hit Mizuki at least once before losing. You were given twenty if you could last the five minutes in the ring and thirty if you won the match. Frankly, it was impossible to gain thirty points. 

Ryuusuke knew that Mizuki didn't like him, the feeling was mutual. When Ryuusuke stepped into the circle, the malicious look in Mizuki's eyes was not unnoticed. 

Ryuusuke might just be an academy student, but he was a jinchuuriki as well. Being a jinchuuriki meant stamina monster. With years of evading villagers and training, in addition, taijutsu was one of his best fields. 

He manged to last the time with putting some hits here and there on Mizuki, but only barely. After the five minutes were up, Ryuusuke stopped. There was a small alarm bell that rung, everyone could hear it, but Mizuki didn't stop. He sent a punch straight up Ryuusuke's jaw, sending him out of the ring. 

"A ninja never stops." Mizuki growled out. Ryuusuke glared back at him. He stood up, went back to the line of students, the test continuing like nothing had happened. 

After forty-five minutes or so, everyone was done. Iruka sent them back into the classroom. Ryuusuke was nursing his now bruised jaw with his hand, looking righteously annoyed. Iruka looked at him a bit concerned, but didn't say anything. 

"The next part is ninjutsu, this is the last part of the exam and you'll see if you passed the moment you finish the three jutsu we ask you to do. Mizuki and I will judge together, so don't worry about differences between teachers." 

There were surprisingly many civilian kids passing the test, but of a class of twenty students, they were the majority. A total of twelve civilian kids and eight clan children. 

Eon was sent in before Ryuusuke and she emerged with a brand-new headband almost as soon as she had gone inside. She didn't share her score, but Ryuusuke knew that there was no doubt she'd pass. After a while, Ryuusuke was sent in. 

The room was a smaller room than the classrooms, there was a simple desk on one side where Iruka and Mizuki was sitting side by side. 

"Okay Ryuusuke, please perform the kawarimi with the chair over there." Iruka said, a polite smile on his face. Ryuusuke complied with a silent nod, switching places with the chair before switching back, so he stood once again in the middle of the room. 

"Very good, now, please do the henge." Iruka continued while noting down on a paper Ryuusuke presumed was his grading sheet. 

He gathered his hands into the familiar hand seals. _Dog, bear, ram_. Ryuusuke recited so he didn't make a mistake. A perfect transformation of Iruka was conjured around him with a puff of clouds. After Iruka's nod of confirmation, he dispelled the jutsu. 

"Now, please do the bunshin." Iruka said. The bunshin no jutsu took a lot of concentration for Ryuusuke, sorting and gathering his chakra took him about ten seconds before five identical clones stood around him. 

"Wonderful. Ryuusuke, you got a sixty-six-point-five percent score, that's pretty good. You pass, please take your headband.” Ryuusuke nodded happily, although the score was lower than what he thought he would get. He didn't win at the taijutsu part, but regardless, he didn't do too badly either. He went back to the classroom, headband in hand. 

After a while, everyone had been called in and being given the grade. In total, 16 people passed, eight clan children and eight civilians. Ryuusuke was among the civilians, seeing how he was an orphan, but he was still surprised about the amount of them who actually managed the test. 

"Come back here tomorrow at ten to meet your teams and jonin sensei." Iruka called out as they left. Ryuusuke was grinning, finally something other than sitting behind the school desk all day. Outside of the academy, he met Mizuki. They shared an equally angry glare at each other, but Mizuki suddenly forced a smile. 

"Ryuusuke, I need your help with something." He said sweetly. Ryuusuke looked at him cautiously. 

" _You,_ need _my_ help?" He asked incredulously. "Why in the world should I do that?" He asked. Mizuki shrugged before bending down to whisper to him. 

"I have information that you need, _Demon_." He spat out before standing back up. Ryuusuke look at him, a pensive look across his face. 

"What info?" He asked.   
"Everything." 

Eon 

Eon was happy that she passed, albeit a little disappointed about only getting 80%, most of the points subtracted in the taijutsu match. She didn't have the ability to beat Mizuki and the man had continuously grown more vicious the longer the matches went on. With about a near half minute left, she had lost her footing and fallen out of the circle, giving her only 10 points in the taijutsu part. 

The rest of it, she was lucky and got a full score. 

When she walked out of the academy, she noticed Mizuki and that idiot Ryuusuke talking together. The curiosity got the better of her and she placed her well within earshot, concealing herself between parents that had come to congratulate or comfort their kids for the results. 

She hadn't caught the entire conversation, but Mizuki promised Ryuusuke all the info. If it was one thing Eon wanted, it was info. 

"Quite interesting isn't it?" A voice suddenly said behind her. She whipped her head around and came face to face with one Uzumaki Yuki. 

"What?" She asked, feigning ignorance. Yuki smiled innocently. 

"Ryuusuke-kun's and Mizuki-sensei's conversation." She replied sweetly. Eon felt the urge to pinch herself. Yuki had been listening in on someone's conversation? Yuki? 

"...yes, I'm curious." Eon answered honestly. Yuki smiled. 

"We should keep an eye on them then, shouldn't we?" She asked. Eon looked at her carefully, trying to understand what the hell was going on. 

"Yeah, I suppose." She replied. 

"Ryuusuke-kun's leaving now." Yuki stated. Eon turned around at that, indeed, Ryuusuke's retreating form was in the distance. 

They followed him, kept away from his field of vision but not far enough to lose him. He had walked back to what Eon assumed was his apartment, which in all honesty, had seen better days. The complex was old, probably built long before the Kyuubi attack. The pipes outside were crooked and didn't exactly look reliable at all. Ryuusuke went inside, while they went up to the roof on another building where they could see into the living room and the doors. 

They waited there until sunset, before Eon thought of giving up. She stood up, started to walk away when Yuki suddenly gave a small shout. 

"He's leaving!" She exclaimed quietly. 

Eon turned around. Sure enough, Ryuusuke had just left his apartment. He headed cautiously down the road, it seemed like he didn't want to be noticed. They followed him quietly on the rooftops, making sure that he wouldn't notice them. 

He made his way to the Hokage tower. Eon's brow was knitted together in concentration. 

"What's he going to do there?" Eon mumbled. Yuki shrugged. They didn't dare to go inside, in case of being spotted. After another ten minutes of waiting, Ryuusuke emerged from a window on one of the top floors. 

A scroll on his back. 

Eon stared. Did Ryuusuke just... steal something? A small cuss escaped her. Yuki looked slightly blanched, her face covered with mild shock. 

They hurriedly followed Ryuusuke who sped off towards the woods. They kept their distance most of the way, making sure that Ryuusuke had no idea that he was being followed. 

He stopped in a clearing holding the scroll in front of him. He opened it, started skimming through the different things that was written down, although it was too far off for Eon to read. Ryuusuke then took out another scroll, which had had kept in a bag he had brought with him. He put his hand on the larger scroll, while his other free hand pointed on the smaller one. 

Suddenly, scribbles of ink wandered from his hand on the larger scroll over to the smaller one, the smaller of the two gaining the same writings on it as the larger one. This continued for a while before Eon decided to interrupt him. 

"Ryuusuke, stop." She said loudly. The blond boy stopped dead in his tracks, blood draining from his face so quickly Eon thought he might faint. 

"What are you guys going here?" He said, panicking. Eon gave him a look. 

"We followed you here from the tower." It wasn't untrue, just... only a part of the whole story. 

"You have to get out of here – I had to come alone!" Ryuusuke said pocketing the smaller scroll hurriedly. 

"Come alone for what exactly?" Eon demanded. Ryuusuke flinched. 

"Mizuki-sensei is going to help me with something, he said I only needed this scroll. I won't get that help if you're here! Scram!" He shouted. Eon took a step back, but then they heard someone come. 

Mizuki was standing on a tree branch on the other side of the clearing from where Eon had emerged, two large fuuma shurikens on his back. 

"Ryuusuke... I told you to come alone, didn't I?" He asked, his voice loud and clear. 

"I swear – I didn't want them to come! I got the scroll, now tell me – tell me everything!" Ryuusuke said, desperation rang through Eon's ears. 

"I can't do that, now can I?" Mizuki said as he grabbed a fuuma shuriken from his back. The large shuriken gleamed in the darkness. Eon hadn't even noticed that the sun had set, darkness enveloping the area. 

The teacher threw the shuriken towards them when Ryuusuke turned towards Eon, clearly panicking. 

They were sure they would've been hit had it not been for a blur of pink and white crashing into them from the side. In a bundle of bodies, Ryuusuke noticed who it was. 

"You too? Yuki, what the hell?!" He asked loudly. He could hear Mizuki swear behind him. The scroll was lying in the middle of the clearing and now Ryuusuke understood the gravity of the situation. 

A small part of him knew that the three of them alone couldn't defeat Mizuki and they needed the time for someone to find them. In addition, they needed some way for anyone to find them. 

He looked at Eon and Yuki, both of them managing to get themselves free of each other. 

"Yuki, Eon, we need to find an adult – we're just genin we can't defeat a chuunin!" Ryuusuke said. Yuki and Eon nodded. Yuki looked at them, a little guilty. 

"I'm not that good at fighting yet – but, I am fast and have a good stamina. I'll find someone!" She said determined. Ryuusuke nodded and she sped off. 

For a second, he thought Mizuki would follow, but the man was smiling. 

"You two alone wouldn't be able to beat me, with three you could've stood a chance. She won't be able to find anyone before I've killed you and gotten the scroll far away from here." Mizuki said smugly. He looked at Eon. 

"It's a shame, I wouldn't want innocent lives to be lost in this, but if that's what it takes to get rid of the demon and acquire power – I will gladly do it." Mizuki continued quietly. 

Eon looked at Ryuusuke who seemed to be trying very hard to keep whatever cool he was trying to portray. 

"What does he mean by demon?" Eon asked. Ryuusuke looked at the ground. 

"Nothing, he's just trying to provoke me." Ryuusuke explained. At that, Mizuki laughed loudly. 

"That's right! Of course, she wouldn't know the true meaning. After all – there is a law against telling the truth." At his statement, Ryuusuke looked up, eyes widened in alarm. 

"Don't!" He shouted, his voice cracking. 

"What? Don't want your little classmate to know the truth?" Mizuki asked, he was smiling, looking like a madman. 

"Don't want her to know that you – the son of some bastards who probably abandoned you the moment they knew that you were no longer human, The Nine-Tailed fox." 

Ryuusuke froze. Eon didn't know what to do or say. Mizuki was laughing. 

Then, Ryuusuke sped forward, grabbing the scroll tightly before jumping backwards. "Eon. We can't let him have the scroll." He said, although his voice was wavering and he was shaking. He didn't look at her. 

Eon stared. A demon? Ryuusuke? She looked at him closer. He looked pretty human to her. He was quivering, he was very pale and it seemed like he wanted to just run away somewhere and not come back. He didn't look like some giant demon fox which wrecked the village. The bruise on his jaw had already healed considerably, had it something to do with that seal she'd seen in her dream? 

She stood up. 

"Exactly how are you a demon?" She asked. Ryuusuke looked at her incredulously. 

"I'll explain later I swear, but right now there is a _chunin_ trying to _kill_ us! Get your priorities straight!" 

Yuki 

Yuki was breathing hard, she had run to the closest ninja she'd known, her mother. 

She slammed open the door, shouted for her mother as she quickly explained the situation. She didn't quite understand, but followed Yuki anyway. They sped off towards the location Yuki had previously been and was quite shocked at the scene they found. 

Kunai and shuriken littered the ground. Eon was clinging to the scroll Ryuusuke had stolen with her dear life. In front of her stood Ryuusuke, although hunched over and bleeding. The fact that he was standing seemed like a miracle. 

He was tired, panting. His blonde hair dirty and his arm was bleeding profoundly. Her mother was quick to take action. She sped towards Mizuki with a protectiveness Yuki hadn't seen. She knew her mother was like a bear, but she had never seen her in actual action. 

Mizuki wasn't even trying to sugar-coat the situation and that made her mother even more angry. While the chuunin was distracted, Yuki hurried over to Eon. 

Before she could open her mouth to ask anything, Ryuusuke fell to his knees. Eon and Yuki hurried over to his side. He was barely conscious, his breath was uneven now as well. 

"We should get him to the hospital..." Yuki said. Eon nodded. "We can't leave the scroll here, besides we wouldn't be able to carry him fast enough. Either we need that ninja there to help us or wait for someone else to come." 

They watched the battle with keen yes, but sooner or later Mizuki was losing whatever stamina he had left. Eon looked at Ryuusuke carefully. 

"He has more guts than he usually let's on." She admitted. "He grabbed the scroll and shoved it in my arms while he distracted Mizuki. No matter how many times Mizuki threw him or punched him he kept getting up. He landed quite some hits on that man as well." Eon explained. 

Yuki nodded, although she was shaking slightly. Death had always been known to her, she felt the loss of her father. Although, _Dying_ was not something she knew and she was scared of it. She might not have talked to Ryuusuke that much and he was quite the ruffian, but he was regardless a classmate. 

They were shaken out of their thoughts when they heard another approaching them. The two females looked up to meet Iruka's shocked face. 

"Iruka-sensei." Eon stated. Yuki looked worriedly to the prone form of Ryuusuke. 

"We have to get him to the hospital – he's hurt!" Yuki said quickly. Iruka looked at Ryuusuke then at the scroll. 

"What in the world made Ryuusuke take the scroll? Mizuki raised the alarm a while ago-" Eon interrupted Iruka's assessment. 

"Mizuki-sen – Mizuki tricked Ryuusuke into stealing the scroll for information. Ryuusuke is the only reason he doesn't have it and on the way out of the land of fire." Eon explained quickly. Iruka gave a small smile at that. 

"I see." He said. He lifted Ryuusuke carefully off the ground. He looked towards the scroll and then turned to the fighting ninja. 

"Eon, grab the scroll for me please. Yuki, please follow us. I'll explain things to your mother later." He explained. Eon looked at Yuki in shock. 

"That woman is your mother?!" She asked incredulously. One might not see the resemblance between Yuki and Uzumaki Hamako. Hamako had fiery red hair which gleamed dangerously in the moonlight. She was fierce and when she was fighting Mizuki she looked like a predator, concealed by a face of pure concentration. 

"Yes," Yuki said. She was smiling sweetly. Eon shuddered, note to self; never anger Yuki. 

Eon grabbed the scroll and Iruka nodded to them. They hurried back towards the village, hoping that Yuki's mother would be okay alone. Iruka was of course going to send back up at the first opportunity given, but right now Ryuusuke took priority. 

When they got back to the village they were immediately met with other shinobi who were, quite rudely if Yuki was to decide. Iruka fended them off quickly, continuing towards the hospital. When they got Ryuusuke admitted, Iruka told Yuki and Eon to deliverer the scroll to the Hokage quickly and not to trust anyone at this point. 

They did as told, hurrying towards the tower with haste. When they got to the entrance and was seen with the scroll by an ANBU officer, they were sent straight up to the office. 

The Hokage was sitting calmly at his desk, almost as if nothing had happened. 

"Ah, Yuki, Eon. Thank you for coming with the scroll. It would've been dangerous if it had gotten in the wrong hands." The Third said, smiling. Yuki smiled back. The Third Hokage was almost like a grandfather to the entire village, he was always kind. Although everyone knew he was the most powerful ninja in the village. 

"Sir," a new voice interrupted. A chuunin was standing in the door. "Uzumaki Hamako is on her way here, she dropped Mizuki off at the reception desk- I'm gonna go before she comes." The chuunin said and the Hokage nodded, a drop of sweat rolling down from his forehead. 

"Your mother?" Eon asked. Yuki shrugged, although it did look more like a small shiver. 

"She seems angry." Yuki said. 

At that, the door to the Hokage's office was slammed open, Hamako standing there in all her glory. She looked at the startled genin standing in front of his desk. 

"Yuki, Eon. Please go home and rest." She said very sweetly. Eon could suddenly see the resemblance between her and Yuki now. Again, note; Never make Yuki angry. 

When Eon and Yuki had stepped out of the office, Hamako turned to the smiling Hokage. 

"Hamako, what can I do for you?" He asked gently. Hamako looked at him accusingly. 

"How _dare_ you keep one of my relatives away from me?" She asked furiously. 

Ryuusuke 

When Ryuusuke came to, the first he noticed was that he was in a hospital. He was covered in small Band-Aids here and there, but didn't feel much pain other than some bruises across his body. Looking around from his bed, he noticed Iruka sitting on one of the chairs by the window. 

"Iruka-sensei." Ryuusuke said. Iruka turned away from the window quickly, hurrying over to Ryuusuke's bedside. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Ryuusuke looked at him strangely. 

"I'm fine but, what are you doing here?" Ryuusuke asked. Iruka smiled slightly. 

"I found you along with Eon and Yuki. They're fine by the way. Yuki brought her mother to fight of Mizuki. You needed medical attention so I brought you here, sending Yuki and Eon with the scroll so they could deliver it back to the Hokage." Iruka explained shortly. Ryuusuke nodded, looking down at the covers of the hospital bed. 

"He promised to tell me the truth. My parents, why I was... chosen." Ryuusuke said. Iruka's eyes widened. 

"You know?" He breathed out. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"I figured it out... It's a long story. At first I was angry, but after a couple of months I figured that it was just my burden to carry, that the Fourth had some sort of reasoning but... Mizuki tricked me, he told me he knew everything and-" Ryuusuke took a deep breath. 

"Now Eon know, well not exactly but, she knows that I'm a 'demon'." He said, emphasising demon with his fingers. Iruka nodded thoughtfully. 

"Eon is a smart girl, she'll understand if you explain it to her. Remember though, Ryuusuke. This should be a heavily guarded secret. There is a reason the Third placed a law to guard it." Ryuusuke looked up at that. 

"What's with that anyway? Shouldn't I be allowed to know? Everything I've gone through because of those people's ignorance!" Ryuusuke said angrily. Iruka gained a pensive look. 

"For them, you're just a reminder of what they lost. You were that to me at some point as well." Iruka said. Ryuusuke looked at him. 

"Were?" Ryuusuke asked. Iruka gave him a bright smile. 

"Of course, I learned to see you as _you_ Ryuusuke, although you could be a little bit more punctual, you're still a good student, and seeing how you defended Eon back there, I'm sure you're a great friend as well." Iruka said proudly. 

"And to answer your question from earlier, no, I do not hate you." When Iruka looked at Ryuusuke, the blonde had tears running down his cheeks. 

"Thank you." He whispered. Iruka just nodded with a smile. 

Hamako wasn't usually angry. She was a sweet and kind woman. Always ready to help those in need. She had come to Konoha with her sister, Kushina, when she was transferred here to be the Kyuubi's second Jinchuuriki. 

After the Kyuubi attacked and Kushina and her husband, Minato, perished in battle, she thought she had lost of all her living relatives. She knew of Kushina's pregnancy, being one of the few allowed to know due to how much Kushina trusted her. She thought their baby had died during the attack as well. 

When Yuki had called her to save her friends from school from their teacher, she wasn't sure what to make of it. She followed regardless, sensing the urgency in her daughter's voice.   
At arrival, she felt herself freeze for a second. She hadn't met Yuki's classmates, being a little withdrawn and not that much of a social person, she didn't go to all the school events or so. Yuki didn't mind, she knew her mother loved her deeply. 

But there he was. It was like looking at a carbon copy of Minato. Intense blue eyes, messy blond hair, the tanned skin, everything was just there and then she just knew. She knew that no others could have a boy their age and look exactly like him. 

And then she felt fury. 

Fury for the man who had scared her daughter, hurt her daughter's friends and her nephew. 

Her nephew who was hidden from her by the Third Hokage. 

She had heard of the jinchuuriki boy before, but never seen him. Seeing Mizuki try to taunt him by calling him Demon every now and then, was more than enough to make her race into action. 

And now she was racing into action by facing the Hokage in a discussion. 

"You dare to keep him hidden?" She asked him. The Hokage looked solemnly at his desk. 

"Hamako, please sit and we can discuss this professionally." The elderly Hokage said. 

"To hell with professionally, Hiruzen! You kept him hidden- he should've been with us! Has he been alone all this time?" Hamako asked. Hiruzen looked guilty. He took a deep breath. 

"It was for his protection." Hiruzen tried to explain. Hamako scoffed. 

"His protection? How long has he lived alone? Two, three years? No nine-year-old kid should live alone!" Hiruzen looked at the floor. 

"Why wasn't he adopted or anything, oh wait, let me guess. No one would take him just because he is the Jinchuuriki!" Hamako said angrily. 

"What in the world was safer with that?" She asked. 

"If his father's enemies knew of him he would be a target from the day he was born. By being with you, people would connect it to Kushina and everyone know that she and Minato were married." Hiruzen tried. 

  
"I was going to tell him when he became a chuunin, or when he turned eighteen. Because then I would know that he would be able to keep it a safe secret." Hiruzen continued. 

"Oh right, because he isn't just a target by being a jinchuuriki!" Hamako argued. 

"He hasn't been targeted -" 

"He was just now, or did you forget?!" Hiruzen slammed his hand down on his desk. 

"Calm down. Ryuusuke just graduated from the academy. If he passes the genin test, he'll be placed on a team. The chuunin exam is in three months, if he pass that – I'll tell him of his parents." Hiruzen explained. Hamako looked at him, still furious. 

"What if I just tell him, his parentage isn't exactly a secret by law." Hamako tried. Hiruzen stared. 

"Then you can say goodbye for his chances to stay alive. Ryuusuke would no doubt take up the Namikaze name and I can't legally stop him. If anyone outside Konoha, perhaps even someone on the inside, knows of his true heritage, he'll have at least two great nations after his hide." Hiruzen said. Hamako stared at him incredulously, but it receded into mere annoyance after a while. 

"The Chuunin exam in three months, I'll tell him of Kushina regardless if he passes or not. I will not hesitate to interact with him. I will not hesitate to say I knew his mother and father. I will not hesitate to tell him stories of them, as long as I keep their names a secret. Deal?" She asked. 

Hiruzen took a deep breath. 

"Deal." 

Hamako left the office, heading home to where her daughter was resting. She reheated the dinner which had been forgotten and made sure Yuki got something to eat. 

“Tomorrow, you should invite both Ryuusuke and Eon over for dinner, don’t you think?” She asked her daughter. Yuki smiled, nodding in agreement. 

“We’ll see tomorrow, after all we’ll be put on teams and meeting our sensei, it’s not certain the others will have the time.” Yuki replied. 

“That’s true. It probably depends if Ryuusuke is out of the hospital as well.” She supplied. After dinner she did the dishes and cleaned up the mess she had made when she rushed out of the house, then she proceeded to go to her storage room, finding some boxes which had ‘Kushina’ written largely on top. 

She couldn’t wait to properly get to know her nephew. 

Eon 

Eon had gone to the hospital after she was told to go home by Yuki’s mother, only to be stopped at the reception desk. They claimed that visitor’s hours were over and that only family who wished to stay by the patients side during the night was allowed to stay. 

Begrudgingly, Eon went home. Upon arrival, Yoshino and Shikaku wanted to know exactly what and where she had been. It felt nice, she supposed. They sometimes felt like parents rather than Uncle and Aunt. 

Shikamaru was still awake, surprisingly. Eon told him about the occurrence, leaving out the demon part which Mizuki had mentioned. She wanted to hear Ryuusuke’s explanation first. 

She then went to the library, finding some books on sealing and demons. It wasn’t difficult to find something, because demons were things of lore and fantasy histories, while sealing was a renowned ninja art, albeit for its rarity. 

When she put the two together, she found something even more interesting in an old Nara clan book, which was way back into the first hokage’s era. It was actually about him, Senju Hashirama, the first hokage who also founded the hidden village system. 

The interesting thing was the part written about his wife, where they stated that during the battle between Madara and Hashirama, Uzumaki Mito, Hashirama’s wife, sealed the nine-tailed-fox which was currently under Madara’s control within herself. 

The sealing sparked the idea which put a peace between the great nations during the first ninja war. Hashirama and Konoha had gathered many of the tailed beasts using the sealing, and use them as a way to balance power between the nations, but it was only a temporary solution, seeing how the second and third ninja war followed not many years after. 

After that, no records of the so-called Jinchuuriki was found. Eon could only theorize, but she felt like she had just hit the jackpot. She would get Ryuusuke’s own explanation though, but perhaps tomorrow. It was soon midnight and she still had to go to the academy tomorrow to be sorted into teams. 

A small part of her wished that she, Ryuusuke and Yuki would be put together. Not only did they work pretty well together, seeing the small battle they had just been in. But she had also grown to care for them, even that idiot Ryuusuke. He was by far not as bad as people had pegged him. 

She went to bed after doing some more research, just to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. When she walked from the library back to her room / apartment, she couldn’t help but to miss the company from Yuki. They had literally spent the entire afternoon together, although they were stalking Ryuusuke. 

Perhaps she could spend some more time with them, even if they were sorted into different teams. One thing was for certain though, she wouldn’t let Ryuusuke out of her sight anytime soon if she had anything to do with it. That knucklehead had almost help a rogue ninja steal some of Konoha’s strongest and nonetheless forbidden jutsu. 

Ryuusuke 

Iruka had fallen asleep after he and the teacher had chatted quietly together for a while. Ryuusuke had stopped crying after an hour or so, not really understanding why at first, but later recognised the feeling. 

Iruka had accepted him. Eon didn’t seem to hate him as much as he thought she did and he had successfully gotten some stronger techniques. 

He had learned some interesting techniques during the years at the academy to make his everyday activities easier. Seeing how he couldn’t borrow books from the libraries and take them home, Ryuusuke had learned a neat jutsu on how to transfer scrip from one scroll or book to another. 

He had successfully managed to not get some pretty high ranked elemental jutsu, but also gotten information on the seal he had on his stomach. Even the way to unlock it. He had quickly learned from Iruka when he talked about the seal though, that unlocking that seal and letting the beast out would not only kill him, but most likely several other innocent people. 

Ryuusuke then decided on something. 

If he was going to have a biju stuck in his stomach his entire life, he was sure as hell going to use the chakra it could offer and control it. Whether the beast liked it or not. 


	3. Team Five

Yuki

If it wasn't for her mother, Yuki would've been late for her meeting at the academy. The lack of sleep due to the incident last night had taken  its toll. Regardless of her tiredness,  she  made her way to the academy at the designated time.

Eon was already there, which wasn't really a surprise. Another thing that wasn't a surprise, was that  Ryuusuke wasn't there.

Eon gave Yuki a small smile when she noticed her entering, which Yuki gladly returned. She made her way over to the Nara, sitting down next to her. The clock neared nine, Yuki was beginning to wonder if  Ryuusuke wasn't allowed to leave the hospital yet.

Iruka came inside the classroom at nine o'clock sharp. He had a sheet of paper in his hand and was  smil ing brightly. Before he started to inform anyone of anything, they could hear  Ryuusuke's voice  from the hallway.

"I swear I'm  fine – why are you even following me?!" He exclaimed, though his voice was muffled by the wall. When the door opened, a  Ryuusuke who was covered in bandages and band aids, followed by an annoyed nurse.

" Ryuusuke -san, please return to the hospital until your wounds have healed more." She bemoaned.  Ryuusuke waved her off. 

"I told you I'm fine. I need to be here – oh, good morning Iruka-sensei." He said as he noticed that the class was completely silent and staring at him.

"Good morning,  Ryuusuke ." Iruka replied and nodded his head towards one of the seats. "I'll make him go back to the hospital later, you can go back to your job." Iruka said kindly. The nurse nodded and left hesitantly. 

Ryuusuke went over to sit beside Yuki and Eon, grinning at them. Yuki smiled back with a small wave and Eon simply lifted her hand in acknowledgment.

"Late on the absolutely final day of the academy? I wouldn't put it past you, but it is really a bit much, don't you think?" Eon commented quietly.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"I have a reputation to uphold, I've only been on time one time during the last five years, I don't want to make it two."  Ryuusuke said and leaned backwards.  Yuki  stiffled a laugh.

"You never change, do you?" She said smiling.  Ryuusuke lifted his shoulders dramatically, waving his hand.

"Nope." He replied.

Iruka gave a small cough to remind them of where their attention should be. 

"Now, for team placement. Team 1 will  be... "  Ryuuskuke zoned out  slightly . Civilians were always the first to be sorted, and  honestly he didn't what exactly happened to their teams, but nearly no civilian team made it to the  chuunin exam.

"Team 5, Haruno Sakura, Nara Eon, Ryuusuke-" Eon shuddered.  _ Not Sakura,  _ She moaned silently. Ryuusuke could almost hear her groan, regardless of how silent she thought she was.

"And Uzumaki Yuki." The three of them stared at each other, before all of them smiled widely, or not widely. Eon gave a small smirk,  Ryuusuke gave a small "Ha!" While Yuki smiled widely. 

Sakura, on the other hand, was  _ squealing. _

Ryuusuke's eyes widened, his face paling ever so dramatically.

" _ Oh no" _ He mumbled, his voice laced with what Yuki could presume desperation or plain distaste. Yuki gave a small smile to Sakura, after all, she had been talking to almost everyone in the class. Sakura was a recurring person of that sort, seeing how she and Ino had taken up some sort of 'leadership' for the girls.

Except Eon. Eon didn't care.

"Your instructors will be Hatake Kakashi, along with Uchiha  Obito ."

Yuki frowned. It was odd that her squad was of four  genin , but even weirder that it had two  jonin . Iruka continued listing the teams and their sensei, but she didn’t really pay attention to them. She looked over at Eon and  Ryuusuke , who also seemed just as intrigued by the revelation as herself.

“Your  jonin sensei will pick you up soon, please remain the classroom. I have to go do some work, so  _ please _ don’t make a ruckus.” Iruka said before leaving them. Sakura hurried over to them,  Ryuusuke moved closer to Yuki and Eon so she could fit on the bench, although it was a little tight.

“Isn’t it great that we’re all on a team together,  Ryuusuke-kun ?” She said, her eyes sparkling.  Ryuusuke felt the urge to groan, but forced a smile. 

“Sure.” He said. Iruka had commented on his behaviour during his stay in the hospital, told him that he would treat him to some friend noodles if he managed to be polite to his team at least the first day. He knew that  I ruka could check up with Yuki or Eon, perhaps even their  jonin sensei to get information about his behaviour. Ryuusuke needed those noodles. He was not going to let his temper get ahead of him. He could hear Eon scoff behind him, but he tried to keep his composure. 

“But we got two  jonin instructor though, is that normal?” Yuki asked curiously. Eon shook her head.

“No, but I suppose the Third and Iruka-sensei had some sort of plan regarding that. Perhaps due to our larger squad they decided to give our sensei some slack, four  genins to teach could be a little much.” Eon theorized.  Ryuusuke shrugged in response.

“We’ll just have to wait for them to show up, I guess.” He said, shuffled slightly between Yuki and Sakura. Sakura was pressed against him uncomfortably. 

After a while,  jonins came and went, picking up their students. After an hour or so of waiting,  Ryuusuke managed to force himself out of his seat.

“If I have to sit here in this classroom for one more minute, I swear I’ll die of boredom.” He moaned, emphasizing on the word ‘die’. He turned to glare at the clock.

“Why in the world are both of them late?” He asked.

“Sorry about that, we got lost on the road of life.” A voice replied.  Ryuusuke whipped his head around at the source. 

A young man, no more than thirty, was standing in the doorway. He had spiky raven hair, coal black eyes and a grin on his face. His forehead protector had a cloth covering the left side of his face. The right side of his face was covered in large scars, but his eye was amazingly still intact.

“Kakashi is waiting on the rooftop, meet us there in five.” The man said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.  Ryuusuke groaned.

“Let’s go.” Eon said and stood up. The four  genin walked out of the door and towards the roof. 

There was a lot of stair on the way there and everyone could feel the slightest of tiredness after walking them all up. When they opened the door to the roof, their two sensei were leaning on the railing. 

The other sensei, Kakashi, Yuki presumed, had a bored expression. He offered a small wave regardless. He had white hair that nearly stood straight up, but gravitated a bit towards his left side. He had a mask covering his lower face and his forehead protector was also askew like the teacher they had met before. covering his left eye. The only thing they could see, was his one onyx-coloured eye that looked at them plainly.

“Okay then, instructions. I’ll start.” The first teacher they met said.

“My name is Uchiha  Obito . I’m twenty-five years old. My hobbies include training and helping others. My dream is to become  Hokage . I do not like wars and hope to save the next generation from such  a thing.”  Obito said with a grin. Then he gave the other teacher a small punch in the side, which was returned with a glare.

“My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like many things and dislike many things. I don’t exactly have any hobbies and do not have any goals or dreams.” He said lazily.  Obito rolled his eyes but pointed on Sakura.

“ Pinky , you first.” He said. Sakura nodded with a smile.

“My name is  Haruno Sakura! I like  –“ Her eyes travelled to  Ryuusuke , which made the blonde shudder ever so slightly. “I dislike Ino-pig! My hobbies include reading, flower arrangements and other things. My dream… I don’t really have one.” She said happily.  Obito looked at Yuki, who sat beside Sakura. 

“Your turn.” He said with a small smile. Yuki returned it happily.

“My name is Uzumaki Yuuki, I like my friends and my family. My hobbies… well I like dancing. I don’t dislike many things. I do not currently have a dream or a goal right now.” She said softly.  Obito beckoned Eon to start.

“My name is Nara Eon. I like reading and learning new things. My hobbies include reading and researching. I dislike traitors and stupid people. I’m not really sure of a dream or goal, but I want to know many things and become strong.” Eon said calmly. The four others looked at  Ryuusuke expectantly. The blonde groaned.

“The name’s Ryuusuke. I like training and fried noodles. My hobb y is simply training. I dislike most people. My dream is to be recognized as one of the strongest in the village and to know more about  m y family.” Ryuusuke said.

“Well that’s great!”  Obito said happily. “Tomorrow, Kakashi and I will be evaluating if you’re ready to become  genins .”  Obito continued.

“I thought we already were  genins ?” Sakura inquired.  Obito and Kakashi looked at each other with a smirk.

“The real  genin test is made by us, the  firs t one was just to get rid of those who had no chance at all.” Kakashi said. “The real test also has a failure percentage of sixty six percent.” He added with a smile. 

“Meet us at training ground seven tomorrow at seven. Don’t eat breakfast, you’ll puke.” Kakashi said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.  Obito gave them a wave.

“See you guys tomorrow!” He said cheerfully before leaving as well.

Ryuusuke

Ryuusuke stared at the spot their teachers had just been standing on.

“Well then,” he started. “I guess we should train then.” He said. Sakura stared at him.

“Why? We don’t have to do anything before tomorrow.” Sakura stated.  Ryuusuke gave her a small unamused look.

“We’re going to be a team, if we don’t know anything about each other’s abilities we can’t cooperate. In addition, no training is wasted. If we’re ending up battling tomorrow, we better be prepared.”  Ryuusuke said. Eon nodded in agreement.

“We could head to training ground seven, perhaps leave some traps or something to prepare.” Eon said.  Ryuusuke turned to her, beaming with mischief.

“That’s a  _ great _ idea.” He said, his eyes gleaming. 

They travelled away from the academy, searching around for the seventh training ground. It wouldn’t be too difficult if Konoha hadn’t had around fifty training grounds in total, numbered by when they were made. It made it really hard to navigate between them to find the correct number.

They found the training ground after an hour or so. It was pretty close to Konoha’s memorial stone. 

“Okay so, we can place traps after we’ve trained. I would say that we should do some  taijutsu matches against each other first, then we can take a look on different  jutsu we know or something.”  Ryuusuke said, getting excited.

He paired up with Eon, Yuki probably being a bit more kind of things with Sakura than what Eon or he would. 

Eon fought with the Nara style, a style which was based on sparing as much time and energy as possible. It needed a lot of speed though, so it was important to work on that.

Ryuusuke’s style wasn’t exactly a style. It was basically mixing  taijutsu and ninjutsu, but there was something missing. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was yet, but he was sure he would figure it out sooner or later.

Eon wasn’t exactly fast, but she had more tact than  Ryuusuke . He acted better on instinct than Eon, but Eon had more accuracy and ability to understand how and where  Ryuusuke would be.

In the end,  Ryuusuke outlasted Eon due to his extensive stamina, but they were both quite tired. Yuki and Sakura had ended long ago, Sakura going out almost immediately. 

“Okay then,”  Ryuusuke said. “What ninjutsu do you know?” He asked them. Yuki looked like she was thinking for a second. “I know the academy three, a couple of water style exercises, although I don’t know any  jutsu yet. My mother is going to  learn me some basic  fuinjutsu to see if I get interested.”  Ryuusuke’s eyes lit up at her statement.

“I  _ have _ to learn  fuinjutsu from her, I swear to god, you have to ask!” He said excitedly. Yuki nodded with a smile.

Sakura waved her hand slightly. “I know the academy three and some more advanced chakra control exercises.” She said. The other three nodded.

“I know many of the lower ranked shadow style of the Nara, the academy three and some advanced chakra control exercises from my clan.” Eon added to the list.

“I know some Wind and Lightning styled techniques, mostly just pure chakra. The academy three, although my chakra control is barely average due to the fact that I have had a huge growth in chakra the last years.”  Ryuusuke said. 

“I could get some chakra-conductive paper from my clan to check out our affinities. My uncle told me that you don’t start to learn using your nature before you’re a  chuunin , but seeing how the  chuunin exam is soon, we should be more prepared.” Eon said.  Ryuusuke turned to look at her with a small shudder.

“Monster Nara.” He commented quietly. Eon gave him a light punch. 

“I just want to do well, we have a real chance of dying when we’re ninja, you saw that yesterday,  Ryuusuke .” Eon said.  Ryuusuke shuddered, brushing his hand over the bandage on his shoulder.

“Exactly what happened to you,  Ryuusuke-kun ?” Sakura asked.  Ryuusuke gave a small smile.

“ Mizuki -sensei was apparently a traitor trying to steal the Scroll of Seals, he used me to get it. When he thought that he had gotten it, he tried to kill me, Eon and Yuki. Yuki went to get help while me and Eon protected the scroll. I was delaying him while Eon made sure to keep her distance with the scroll so he wouldn’t just grab it and run. I ended up taking a few hits.”  Ryuusuke explained quickly.

Sakura gave him a horrified look. “That’s terrible!” She said.  Ryuusuke shrugged. 

“It turned out fine in the end, Yuki’s mother came and kicked  Mizuki’s ass while Iruka-sensei brought me to the hospital and Eon and Yuki brought the scroll back to the  Hokage .”  Ryuusuke replied. 

“Regardless, we should learn as much as we can. You seem to attract trouble like a magnet,  Ryuusuke , so it wouldn’t be bad to just get a few more techniques under our belts.” Eon said. Yuki nodded in agreement.

“My mother could probably help us with things during our free-time, she’s not an active shinobi anymore.” Yuki said. 

“Cool.”  Ryuusuke said, smirking.

“We could still train on strength, speed and endurance for the rest of the afternoon though,”  Ryuusuke said with a sadistic look in his eye. Eon took a long sigh, endurance wasn’t her strong point. Yuki smiled, as usual, while Sakura looked like she was tired by just thinking of it.

They trained for a couple of hours, before Sakura told her teammates that she had to go home for the evening. Yuki offered  Ryuusuke and Eon to come with her home for dinner, telling them that her mother had told her to invite them over.

Ryuusuke gladly accepted, seeing how he didn’t exactly have much food left at home and didn’t have much money at the moment either.

Eon accepted as well, but she had to run by her house to tell  Shikaku and Yoshino. Yuki gave her way descriptions so she would find her way to their house. 

Ryuusuke followed Yuki to her house, although he was getting slightly more nervous the closer they got. He knew that Yuki was kind, but she didn’t know about his… condition either. Her mother probably did though and most people hated him for it.

Entering Yuki’s apartment,  Ryuusuke was met with a wave of warmth. His own apartment was always cold, because he saved power by not using the heater. Yuki’s mother was in the kitchen by the sound of it. 

“Mom, I brought  Ryuusuke ! Eon is coming later!” Yuki called out softly. Yuki’s mother suddenly appeared in the kitchen’s doorway.

“Ah, come in, come in! How’re you feeling,  Ryuusuke ?” She asked as she noticed  Ryuusuke’s band-aids and bandages.  Ryuusuke gave her a small smile.

“I’m feeling perfectly well, Uzumaki-san,” he replied politely, although it seemed a little uncertain. Yuki’s mother pouted slightly, but soon smiled again.

“Please, call me  Hamako .” She said.  Hamako went back into the kitchen for a second, while Yuki and  Ryuusuke took of their shoes and placed them in the hall. Yuki lead  Ryuusuke into the living room, which was quite spacious if he had to comment on it. 

They sat down on the couch, a little awkward silence between them.  Hamako came back soon after they had sat down, having removed the apron she was wearing.

“I wish to talk to you for a second Ryuusuke. Yuki, could you watch the dinner for me?” She asked. Yuki looked a little concerned, but went t o the kitchen regardless.

Ryuusuke looked at  Hamako . He shuffled his feet ever so slightly.

“Is this about…  y’know , my inhabitant?”  Ryuusuke asked curiously.  Hamako shook her head. 

“Gods no, I just have something to tell you. I talked to the  Hokage yesterday about certain issues and we ended up in an agreement. I wanted to let you know, regardless of what the  Hokage might advise.” She said.

Ryuusuke gave her a confused look.

“I knew your parents,  Ryuusuke .”  Hamako said. The sentences ringed in  Ryuusuke’s head for a while before he recovered from his shock.

“What?” He breathed out.  Hamako looked at him solemnly. 

“I knew your mother especially well, but I got to know your father when he started to spend more time with her. I want you to know that if I had it my way, you would never have grown up as you did.”  Hamako supplied.  Ryuusuke was about to say something, but was interrupted.

“I want you to allow me to say what I have to say first, about me and the Third’s agreement. In addition, I need you to understand how important this is. There is a reason why your heritage was kept away from you – is kept away from you.”  Hamako started.  Ryuusuke nodded slowly.

“Your parents had many enemies. The Third believed that you would be much more unsafe as a container  _ and _ the child of your parents.”  Hamako started.

“We agreed that if you pass the  Chuunin exam, proving that you can defend yourself adequately, we’ll tell you everything. Even if you don’t, I will tell you of your mother, but you cannot spread that information carelessly. If you can’t pass the exam, we’ll tell you about your parents regardless when you turn eighteen, so we know that you can properly keep that secret.”  Hamako explained.

Ryuusuke didn’t look pleased at all. It made sense after all, of course he wanted to know who his parents were.

“The next  chuunin exam is in six months, I would recommend you training properly and regularly. The exam is difficult, most rookies aren’t even allowed to enter. If you want to enter, you have to prove to your sensei that you are ready.”  Hamako added.  Ryuusuke nodded determinedly. 

“If you want to hear some stories about your parents, don’t hesitate to ask me. In fact, don’t hesitate to come here if anything happens.”  Hamako said seriously.  Ryuusuke gave her a smile.

A knock on the door ended the conversation. Yuki hurried over to the door and let Eon inside. Eon noticed  Ryuusuke sitting across  Hamako the moment she entered the living room. Looking a little curiously at him, she added with a smirk.

“Already gotten in trouble?” She asked.  Ryuusuke chuckled. 

“Not yet anyway.” He replied. The two laughed. Yuki joined them after she and her mother switched back to who was originally watching the food.

“Dinner is ready soon, but we can just sit here in the meanwhile.” Yuki said and sat down. 

“ So guys, we have to enter the next  chuunin exam.”  Ryuusuke said. Eon scoffed, like she thought it was stupid.

“Wasn’t that the idea all along? I literally mentioned it while we were training.” She said.  Ryuusuke rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

“Though we can’t just enter – we have to pass.”  Ryuusuke said. The other two nodded.

“We just got to get Sakura on our level.”  Ryuusuke added. Eon groaned loudly, something she had been waiting to do for a long time by the looks of it.

“That’ll be the real work.” She said tiredly. Yuki giggled.

“Sakura- chan isn’t that bad,” Yuki said half-heartedly. This time,  Ryuusuke scoffed.

“She spent one half of the academy chasing that  Sasuke guy, while the rest half ogling me.” He said, containing a small shudder, probably for the tenth time this day.

“She has the mind to learn though, if we can just get her a bit more determined we’ll get her up and going soon enough.” Yuki argued. Ryuusuke shrugged.   
“I suppose.” He said.

“I’ll get those Natural chakra papers tomorrow, so we can have a look at them after the genin test. Ryuusuke, you’re the best in taijutsu so far – in addition you have more chakra than the rest of us at this point, so you can help Sakura in those two fields.” Eon said.   
“Yuki, you can help Sakura find her field, due to you knowing absolutely everything about everyone. I’ll help her with traps and know how to use her knowledge in the field. The reason I put her mostly with Ryuusuke is because she will actually listen to him, she adores him.” Eon added teasingly, giving Ryuusuke yet another shudder.

The next morning,  Ryuusuke ate breakfast regardless of Kakashi-sensei’s advice. When he skipped  breakfast his movements were sluggish and his reaction was slow. If he ended up throwing up, then so be it. 

He brought with him some ration bars that he had gotten Iruka to buy for him, due to the fact that most shops didn’t allow him inside or better yet, overpriced him. 

He had assumed correctly when Sakura had been the only one who hadn’t eaten. Eon liked to have some sort of energy, while Yuki had told them that her mother had told her, and he quotes;

“A Shinobi with an empty stomach is a dead shinobi.” 

Something in the same direction Eon and  Ryuusuke had figured, that a shinobi without energy would not move or think fast enough to react properly in the field.

Ryuusuke handed Sakura one of the bars so she would at least be able to last a few hours. While waiting,  Ryuusuke practiced some minor lightning styled chakra exercises, which mostly consisted of making lightning chakra circle around your hand without it going out of control.

They waiter for another three hours before  Obito and Kakashi showed up, which had made Sakura nothing less than slightly angry.

“You’re late!” She accused loudly. Kakashi’s face was in a smile while  Obito was grinning. 

“We had to help an old lady with her groceries, but when he got there we saw a black cat, so we couldn’t go that way now could we -“ He stopped when the four  genin all gave them a glare.

“Okay.” Kakashi said.

“The test is as follows; You four will get these two bells from me.  Obito will be assessing you without actually interacting with the test today. The ones who get a bell will pass and become a  genin .” Kakashi explained. The four  genin’s eyes widened. 

“But sensei, there are only two bells…” Sakura said. Kakashi nodded, the smile still on his face.

“That’s right, two of you will be sent back to the academy, while the remaining two will be tutored by me and  Obito .” He chirped.

“The test ends when the clock strikes twelve.”  Obito informed and showed them a timer which he then proceeded to place on one of the wooden logs standing upright at the end of the training ground.

_ ‘That’s two hours…’ _ Ryuusuke thought, he was feeling a bit odd. One part of him knew that out of their current skillsets, he and Eon were the ones who would most likely get a bell. But there were no  genin team that only consisted of two  genin , but then again… they were four  genin and two  jonin . It didn’t seem that farfetched.

Obito jumped a couple of metres away from them, Kakashi stepping a bit backwards to gain some distance. 

“On my signal…”  Obito said. He paused for around a minute.

“Go!” 

The  genin disappeared as soon as they could. Hiding themselves amongst the foliage around the training ground.  Ryuusuke was in a tree, well position to look over the grounds while still have an opportunity to run away if needed to.

Eon was also hidden quite well, using some of her clan  jutsu to cloak her inside the shadows of the back of a tree. 

Yuki was crouched behind some bushes, while Sakura was…

Inside some bushes. 

How in the world was she supposed to get up if Kakashi found her?  Ryuusuke held back a groan. Kakashi wasn’t moving, but after the event two days ago,  Ryuusuke knew better than to underestimate a shinobi of a higher rank.

How were they supposed to beat a  jonin ? He and Eon couldn’t even beat  Mizuki , a  chuunin instructor who probably hadn’t been in the field for years--!

He noticed Kakashi going towards Sakura location. Uttering a small curse,  Ryuusuke jumped out from his hiding spot.

He didn’t want the others to lose their chance to get a bell before the test had even gotten hallway through.

“Kakashi-sensei!” He called out. He readied himself in his usual stance, but Kakashi and  Obito were both staring curiously at him.

“Do you really think it’s wise? To fight a  jonin head on?” Kakashi asked.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

“Not really, but I have to see what we’re facing, don’t I?”  Ryuusuke hadn’t spent the night doing nothing, while he was a little tired from staying up so late, he had learned some of those  jutsus from the scroll quite well.

“ Kage bunshin no  jutsu !”

Three solid clones appeared in a puff of smoke.  Ryuusuke grabbed a kunai from his toolbelt and went at Kakashi with his clones following. 

He advanced on Kakashi with  taijutsu first, although with a kunai in hand the hits were much  more deadly .

If it hadn’t been a  jonin , that is.

Ryuusuke’s attacks were easily diverted or countered, if  Ryuusuke hadn’t been as good on instinctive reaction he would’ve been sent into the ground long ago. He gritted his teeth slightly and started to focus chakra to his kunai.

The kunai wasn’t a chakra conductive one, so it was much more difficult to get chakra to surround it. Even so, steel was a good conductor to lightning, so as soon as he had first gotten that little spark of chakra into the kunai, it sparked up with life. 

Kakashi’s visible eye widened, but just barely. When  Ryuusuke charged at him, kunai in hand – he was prepared. Grabbing  Ryuusuke’s wrist he twisted the boy over himself, making the blonde shout out in pain as he lost the kunai.

The three clones following him were easy to dispatch.  Ryuusuke offered the  jonin a glare before lifting his hands back into the seal from before.

“ Kage bunshin no  jutsu !” He said once again, this around ten clones were around him, give or take. They all  scatterd into different directions around the field, running and creating chaos. Within that chaos,  Ryuusuke snuck off to where Eon had gathered Yuki and Sakura.

He looked at Eon when he arrived both of them staring at each other for a moment before nodding.

“It has to be teamwork.”  Ryuusuke said. Eon nodded. 

He had sent a clone to tell Eon to back him up from the shadows at first, but Eon had told him that there was no way that they could defeat a  jonin by themselves. She had gathered Yuki and Sakura to make use of the small traps they had placed there. When  Ryuusuke’s clone had dispelled, the real one had gotten his memories. Which was very useful to know, imagine if he’d gone most of his teens without knowing such an important detail of the technique.

“Kakashi’s way beyond our level. Even with the numbers on my side, there is only so much clones of the same person could do. He was reading my attacks very well. The only thing we can do is use the traps and unpredictability.”  Ryuusuke assessed. Eon nodded.

“The one to grab the bells has to be Sakura. Listen up, here’s the plan.” Eon said.

\----

Kakashi wasn’t a foolish man, no doubt. After dispatching all the clones  Ryuusuke had conjured up, he noticed that the real one wasn’t there. He had been underestimating the boy, that was for sure. He thought his sensei’s son was a bit more like his mother, which really did seem like it from the reports from the academy. He was quick to anger, brash and otherwise an outcast. Much like  Kushina had been as a child.

However,  Ryuusuke was also much like Minato in ways Kakashi didn’t expect. He knew that the  kage bunshin no  jutsu was in the scroll of seals, which were the only place  Ryuusuke could’ve found the technique without being taught by someone else, which he had a hard time to believe due to  Ryuusuke’s status.

The wonder was how well he used it, he could’ve only practiced it for around two days at a max, but the day prior he had been in the hospital. In addition to that, the boy had used lighting chakra on his kunai! His  taijutsu wasn’t all that bad, especially when he added the kunai into the mix. 

A sword might suit him, Kakashi thought for a second.

It was after that moment of thought that an explosion surrounded him. Dust and ash alike covered the training ground, then out of the smoke came a pink and white blur.

Uzumaki Yuki wasn’t the one he was expecting, that was for sure. Her  taijutsu wasn’t bad. It was fluid and flexible. She evaded his attacks fairly well considering she was a  genin , but wasn’t able to land any attacks. 

While she was defending herself against Kakashi’s counters, three clones of  Ryuusuke came at Kakashi from the side, throwing him off balance. Although not enough. He stumbled, but halted just as he noticed something thin pressed against his ankle.

_ ‘Ninja wire _ .’ He thought. He wouldn’t have been attacked by a falling log if Yuki hadn’t thrown a kunai at the wire as soon as she noticed that he didn’t trip over it. 

‘ _ When did they set this up? _ ’ Kakashi thought amused. He evaded the log easily enough, but was now standing in a circle of  Ryuusukes . There must’ve been around twenty of them. Three of them dispelled at first, creating a small cloud of smoke around him. Before he could evade, another three threw themselves at him while another three dispelled. He dispelled the clones holding him with a burst of chakra, but when he was blinded by the smoke, he felt that he couldn’t move. 

When the smoke cleared, the shadows from  Ryuusuke’s clones connected within his own. The hold wasn’t strong enough to stop him completely though. When  Ryuusuke’s clone saw him move, five of them ran at him and held him in place. A clone reached for the bell when he felt the shadow  loosing a slight fraction if his power.

With another powerful burst of chakra, the clones holding and surrounding him dispelled and the area was yet again covered in smoke. 

“ Fuuton :  Reppusho !” He could hear  Ryuusuke and Eon’s voice in union shout. A powerful gust of wind hit him straight on, but it was not enough to make him budge once he added some chakra to his feet.

‘ _ What even are these  _ _ genin _ ?’ Kakashi thought, he felt himself sweat a little.

The smoke had cleared due to their joined attack though.  Ryuusuke and Eon were standing side by side, Eon being pretty tired from the amount of chakra she’d used.  Ryuusuke wasn’t better off, but he had the chakra from being a  jinchuuriki to boot.

Although the two of them were quite tired, they were smiling. Yuki was standing ready a little further away from Kakashi, but she was also smiling.

Kakashi looked a little surprised, but what had he forgotten?

Obito started to laugh. He started to laugh so loudly Kakashi thought he might’ve just gotten a sugar kick and then being tickled effectively.

“They got the best of you – oh lord this is great! I can’t wait to tell the others!”  Obito shouted out between laughter. Kakashi’s eyes widened, he took a hand to his belt only to find nothing there.

“Looking for these, Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura’s voice ranged out from behind him. A jingle of bells led him to her hand, where the two bells he had previously had on his belt had found their location.

He didn’t say anything. He looked at  Obito who gave him a small wink.

“Okay, you got the bells. Which is a surprise, if I have to say so. I wasn’t exactly planning on that. Now then, Sakura. Who will you give the bells? The other two have to be sent back to the academy.” Kakashi said. 

Sakura and Yuki made their way to stand beside Eon and  Ryuusuke .

“You take all four of us or none of us.” Yuki said, looking at Sakura. Sakura looked a little uncertain, but her eyes wandered over to  Ryuusuke who nodded, his eyes serious.

“That’s right.” Eon said and grabbed Sakura’s hand, a bit of moral support, regardless of her initial dislike towards the pink haired girl.

“So?” Sakura asked Kakashi.  Obito went over to Kakashi’s side, giving him a nudge.

“Fine, all of you pass with flying  colors . Now, how did you do it?” Kakashi asked them with a defeated chuckle.

Ryuusuke grinned at this. “It was Eon’s idea, well not the first time where I faced you alone. That was a distraction so you wouldn’t take Sakura out of play.”  Ryuusuke said. “I sent one clone of to the woods to find Eon, I wanted her to back me up when I fought you, she got other plans though.”

Eon moved slightly at this. “After our encounter with  Mizuki -sensei, it was obvious that two  genin couldn’t stand against a  chuunin . Two against a  jonin ? We wouldn’t even have stood a chance if we got Sakura and Yuki to back us up as well.” Eon explained.

“I gathered Yuki and Sakura to come up with some sort of plan, but it wasn’t easy without an assessment of what you knew, Kakashi-sensei. Right after I mentioned that,  Ryuusuke’s clone disappeared. After a while, he came to us.” Eon was then interrupted by  Ryuusuke again.

“Seems like my shadow clone’s memories get transferred to me after they dispel” He said proudly.

“Anyway,” Eon drawled. “We knew we just had to get a distraction big enough for one of us to get the bells. Sakura is the least fit for combat, and you wouldn’t expect her to be there either, considering that you have most likely read our reports from the academy.” Eon continued.

“Using the  traps we set up here yesterday, due to us knowing that we might have to fight you, we found out that sending Yuki out first while me and  Ryuusuke set the other parts of the plan into action, was the best way to do it.” She nodded at Yuki before turning back to Kakashi.

“Yuki and  Ryuuskue have the most stamina of the four of us.  Ryuusuke having more chakra than the other three of us combined. We needed him to support with clones, but it wouldn’t do well to have him distracted by you. So, we used Yuki who could last long enough for  Ryuusuke to set up his clones and me to prepare the  kagemane no  jutsu .” Eon gave a smug look at this.

“We used the smoke  Ryuusuke’s clones produce to have Sakura transform into one of them and join them as they appeared. When they were holding or blinding you, Sakura would have several opportunities to try and take them, but I had backup plans which were obviously necessary.” Eon said.

“When me and  Ryuusuke used the Gale Palm technique, we formed a large barrier of wind which you would have to block against, but Sakura was standing behind you. Using you as a shield from the  jutsu itself, and the noise to disguise herself from you – she managed to grab the bells undetected.” Eon finished. 

Obito gave a whistle.

“Motivated Nara,” he said. “Are freaking monsters.” Kakashi couldn’t help but agree.

“I suppose you figured out the true meaning of the test then.” He said. The four  genin looked at each other with smiles.

“Teamwork.” They replied in unison.  Obito and Kakashi nodded in agreement.

“ Obito taught me this when our teammate was captured once during the war.” Kakashi started, but  Obito finished his sentence proudly.

“Those who abandon the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.”

The group looked at each other for a while before  Obito broke the silence once again.

"We still have lots of time today, technically – we could keep you here until around five or so, but since the clock is just around eleven we can train for a couple of hours and get to know  each o ther better before you're dismissed for the day. We have to report to the  Hokage around three to tell him which teams passed or not."  Obito explained.

"First, I would like to comment on your performance just now."  Obito said.

"Sakura, you got the first mark from me." He started. Sakura looked a little surprised. "Your hiding place was a bit inconvenient, if  Ryuusuke hadn't interrupted Kakashi, he would've found you and you would have wasted much time by needing to get up from underneath the bushes."  Obito commented. Sakura nodded solemnly.

" Ryuusuke ."  Ryuusuke looked at his sensei. "You went into battle without considering how outmatched you were. You could have distracted Kakashi other ways than just plain battle. In addition, I would like you to look into some weapons for your fighting style."  Obito said. Kakashi nodded at this.

"I noticed that as well, your work with the kunai was good, but it had a little short range for it to have much effect. A  Chisa Katana or a  Wakizashi might suit you, look into it. Also, chakra conductive metal." Kakashi added.

"Basically, sword, more thought during battle. Otherwise, be more careful with how you spend your chakra."  Obito said.

"Yuki, you need to focus more on your strength and  taijutsu . You have much stamina and  an  over average sized chakra pool, but you need to know how to use it properly in combat, y ou have one of the best groundworks I've seen, it's time to build on it."  Obito said, Yuki nodded with determination.

"Eon, you  have to work on your speed and stamina, your  streng th could also be worked on. Currently, you have the average amount of chakra for clan children your age, but due to the nature of this team I would like you to work on it as much as your speed. Other than that, you have the best tactical mind I've seen in a long time."  Obita conlcuded .

"So, Kakashi will be helping out with most of the ninjutsu and  genjutsu stuff, while I'll be helping with  taijutsu and stamina. At the moment, I'm  gonna force you –  Ryuusuke – to join me in the weapon shop for a bit better equipment than what you are wearing. How old are those clothes?"  Obito asked  incrediously . 

Ryuusuke laughed at that, but gladly followed  Obito to the town.

Kakashi then turned to the remaining  genin with a smile.

"Well then, let's get to work."

\----

Kakashi,  Obito and many other  jonin was standing in a large room. The Third  Hokage was in front of them, having a list before him.

"Team 1?" He asked.

"Fail."

"Team 2?"

"Fail."

"Team 3?"

"Fail."

"Team 4?"

"Fail."

"Team 5?" 

"Pass."

"Team -"

Several gasps ran throughout the room. The  jonin turned to Obito and Kakashi. 

"Kakashi passed a team? Did they change the test due to  Obito joining him this year?" Many asked and talked among themselves.

"The test didn't change."  Obito said. "We just have an incredible batch of  genin ." He said, smiling.

The  hokage smiled before continuing to check of his list.

"Team 6?" 

"Fail,  Hokage-sama ." 

"Team 7?"

"Fail." 

"Team 8?"

"Pass."

"Team 9 is still in circulation, team 10?"

"Pass."

"Well, all the clan children passed. Make sure to send the failed  genin back to the special course Academy. Get them ready for next year. Kakashi,  Obito ,  Kurenai ,  Asuma , please report in with your  genin team's tomorrow for the first batch of D-ranks as soon as you're ready."  Hiruzen said. The four  jonin in question confirmed with a short; "Yes, Sir." 

Then, they  went home for the day. None of them less than excited  for  the next month's adventures.

\--

Ryuusuke had gone to Eon's house along with his teammates. Eon had said that she had gotten the chakra nature paper, but didn't bring them to the test mainly because she didn't want to waste their time if they failed. 

She offered them all to stay over, seeing how she had enough space.  Ryuusuke didn't feel that comfortable about it at first, being the only guy, but joined  nontheless . 

"Team bonding" Yuki and Sakura had reasoned as they dragged him along.

His new outfit was something he liked though. Instead of dirt old cargo shorts and a white t-shirt, he had now gotten  himself a mesh  armour t-shirt with a dark blue vest, closed with a sipper. With dark  grey ninja pants, tightened around his calves by black bandages along with black ninja sandals, he felt more at ease. He wasn't as  noticeable and had even gotten a better ninja pouch. 

Obito had lent him the money though, which made him feel a little bad. But  Obito said he would just have to pay him back at a later date, seeing how he would get a regular income once they started D-ranks.  He knew how hard it was to live alone, he reasoned.

A long with new clothes, they had special ordered a sword for him. 

It would be slightly shorter and lighter than a katana, but still longer than a  Chisa Katana. It was to be made of pure black chakra conductive steel, with a black handle and guard.  Obito had said that this shop had been used for ages, and that even his sensei bought his gear here. The quality was guaranteed to be good

The salesman, was really old. His reaction was a bit odd when he saw  Ryuusuke along with  Obito though, but  Obito gave him a look that shook him out of his stupor.

The sword  would be done by tomorrow evening, the man had said. Why  Ryuusuke would get it so fast, was beyond him. 

When the group had settled in Eon's own  living room, they each got handed a small piece of paper by Eon.

"Just channel your chakra into the paper. If the slip burns, your  affini ty is fire. If it turns wet, it's water. If it turns to dust, it's earth, if it splits in half, it's wind and if it crinkles it's lightning." Eon explained.

When  Ryuusuke channelled chakra into his paper, it split in half. One side  crinkled up while the other turned to water. 

"I knew I was awesome, but three affinities  is just  overkill."  Ryuusuke said, amused.

Yuki's paper turned to pure water, there wasn't even traces of paper left. The room turned silent for a moment.

"That must be the strongest  affinity for water seen since the second  Hokage ." Eon said,  intrigued . She  channelled chakra to her own paper.

The paper split in half, before both side s went up in flames.  Ryuusuke whistled.

Sakura  channelled her chakra to the paper and it turned to dust.  Ryuusuke laughed.

"Guys, we got all five elements as a team!" He said excited. Eon sighed. 

"I preferred you when you were quiet and antisocial." She joked. 

Ryuusuke threw a  pillow at her in response. Which she threw back, but  Ryuusuke ducked and it hit Sakura right in the face.

That was a pillow war they would not forget anytime soon.


	4. The Wave Mission

They met up with Kakashi and  Obito around nine the next morning.  Obito wanted to work with  Ryuusuke to properly teach him how to use the sword.  Obito was by far no expert on  kenjutsu , in fact, Kakashi might've been better at it than he. 

But the fact remained that Yuki, Eon and Sakura's primary concern was to expand their stamina and chakra reserves, which was more Kakashi's area. Especially stamina. In addition to that, Kakashi was good at being honest about what they needed to improve,  Obito would usually sugar-coat it a bit. 

Ryuusuke took to the sword like a fish to water though, which surprised  Obito at first, but then he remembered that  Kushina –  Ryuusuke's mother – was also a natural when it came to swords. 

While he was helping  Ryuusuke train with a sword, not the one he ordered yesterday but a wooden one he had borrowed from  Hayate , Konoha's own sword-master.

They used the mornings for this, around noon they would go to the mission desk and do around three or five D-ranked missions until five or six in the afternoon. After that they would do some chakra control  ex ercises or work on their  jutsu to perfect them.

They would stretch out after that and then go home for the night.  Ryuusuke was practically forced to stay with Eon or Yuki, mostly Eon considering the space. They, and their guardians / parents, didn't exactly like that he was living alone, no better that the apartment was in a shitty state. Not that it was his fault.

They continued this routine for around four weeks before  Ryuusuke had had enough. The moment he saw  Obito the next morning he literally stalked over to him, latched onto his torso with a small jump and refused to let go until  Obito told them he would try to get them a C-ranked mission. With  Ryuusuke using chakra to strengthen his hold and practically glue himself to  Obito , the  jonin finally gave in.

It didn't take much to convince Kakashi. Eon and Yuki was also into the idea, seeing how both of them didn't exactly get a challenge catching cats or simply training all the time. 

Sakura was a little less thrilled. By training with her team she had come to understand how large the gap between them actually was. She knew that C-ranks had an actual risk of battle, which wasn't exactly... exciting for her. 

She went along with it anyway. 

So after doing their usual morning training, which was much less tiring now than it was in the beginning, they made their way to the mission desk once more.

Iruka, who was on duty there after their class had graduated, had taken out some D-ranks that had gotten in, but  Obito shook his head.

"We want to request a C-rank, Iruka-san." He said with a smile. Iruka's eyes widened. He let the paper in his hand fall back to the desk.

"Isn't that a bit early?" He asked, his voice had traces of protest.

"They've proven to be quite capable, actually." Kakashi added. He stared at Iruka. It seemed like the two of them had some sort of hidden conversation.  Obito smirked, he gave Kakashi a nudge. 

"Come on, you have time for that later." He said. Iruka let out a sigh. He handed Kakashi a piece of paper. 

"That's the info. In summary,  Tazuna from the Land of Wave wants an escort with him back towards his homeland and that they stay there and protect him until the bridge he is building is done." Iruka said.  Obito nodded.

"Call in  Tazuna ." Iruka said to a nearby  chuunin . After waiting in a tense silence, Iruka's gaze following the  genins ' every move and expressions, the man  Ryuusuke assumed was  Tazuna .

"These brats are supposed to protect me?" The man slurred. He was obviously intoxicated, he pointed an accusing finger at Sakura.

"That one doesn't even seem capable of walking a dog." He said. Sakura looked ready to murder him, but Yuki held her back with a smile. 

Eon, on the other hand, was not so easily detained.

"One  genin is better than three of your kind." She said simply.  Obito quickly covered her mouth with his hand, holding her slightly behind him.

Kakashi was smiling, or so  Ryuusuke thought it looked like. It was hard to see through the mask. Although, he wasn't intending to let the comment slide either.

"Eon is right," he said. "But I'm sure if you think we're so incapable that we could find some other  genin team. I mean it's not like we're the most battle orientated of the others in our group and have two of Konoha's strongest  jonins on our squad. We're also the largest squad in duty, which would've been more expensive had it not been a special case... but sure, you don't need us."  Ryuusuke said with a smile. Kakashi was now staring at him with a special glint in his eye,  Obito was as well, but his eyes looked more haunted than anything else.

Tazuna looked taken aback, he was fumbling with finding the proper words before sighing.    
"Fine," he huffed out. "Meet me at the southern gate in half an hour, considering the time we probably have to set up camp for the evening." He said.

"You heard the old man,"  Obito said with a grin. "The mission is estimated to take around two weeks. Pack accordingly.  Ryuusuke , remember to bring your practice sword for training... but bring the  _ Tsumibito _ .  Ryuusuke gave a huge grin. He hadn't actually been allowed to train or use his sword before  Obito deemed him ready, which apparently might be now.

"You're dismissed for now, hurry up and be at the gate in thirty minutes, no sooner or we leave without you." Kakashi finished and waved them off.  Obito followed the four  genin out, but Kakashi remained in the room.

Ryuusuke hurried back to his apartment. He might spend most of his time at Eon's, but it wasn't exactly home either. His apartment wasn't messy, but rather in a bad shape in general. The pain had faded years ago, his furniture on the verge of breaking. He had limited of hot water and his stove had been out of order for a couple of months, which was one of the reasons why his team's parents, excluding Sakura's, had been so insistent he stayed at their place.

Still, most of his belongings were still in the apartment, though some of his clothes had been moved over to Eon's. Gathering a two week supply of ninja tools, two changes of clothes, a sleeping matt, a sleeping bag, some emergency rations and finally, the  Tsumibito . 

The sword was gorgeous. The sheath was dark blue, nearly black. A single line carved into the material ran down the middle of it. The handle of the word was Black, with two pendants hanging of the end of it.  Ryuusuke didn't exactly know why they were there, but one of them was the Uzumaki clan mark and the other was a white circle with red flickering flames around it, turned inwards. 

The blacksmith wouldn't tell him why they were there either, told him that it was a memento of a sort.  Ryuusuke understood that he wouldn't get more out of the man, and decided that one day he would find it out some way or another.

He went over to Yuki's after that,  Hamako had insisted that he came by before leaving for a C-rank mission, having been told of his plan to force his sensei to give him one. And so, he was hurrying towards Yuki's home, knowing that he hadn't got all day to dilly dally. He knocked on the door once he got there. 

Hamako was always quick to check the door, looking at him in full equipment with a sceptical eye.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can just go inside?" She asked. Ryuusuke gave a small grin.   
"Probably many." He replied. Obito's personality had rubbed off on him. He was used to just being in the background, silent and analytic, but after being with Obito had he begun to open up a bit more, slightly. The cheerful attitude was relieving. 

Yuki was ready as well, she was sitting in the living room while reading on a scroll.  Ryuusuke sat down next to her. 

"What're you reading?" He asked, peering over her shoulder. 

"A scroll about my family bloodline, my mother wants me to start practicing it soon." Yuki replied softly.  Ryuusuke leaned back in the couch.

"Bloodline, huh?" He said with a smirk. Yuki chuckled. 

"It's not as great as it seems, not a  sharingan or  byakugan by any means. It's called the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Its chains made out of chakra. It can be used to capture or used as a weapon depending on the situation. It's length and size depend on the chakra you put into it, but even a small chain needs quite the amount. Which is why even as a Uzumaki, I still have to largen my reserves quite a bit before I can use it." Yuki explained.

Ryuusuke gave a small nod. 

"Uzumaki's have healing abilities as well, right? I read about it in a book." Ryuusuke asked. Yuki nodded.    
"It's not very efficient, it's not like you can recover a limb. But healing minor wounds is no problem, we also recover stamina much faster." Yuki said.

"Neat."  Ryuusuke said.

Eon came in afterwards, they'd decided to meet up before leaving for the gate, just to make sure that they had everything. 

Eon had this look she gave  Ryuusuke every once in a while. He knew what she meant. She was still waiting for an explanation, although knowing Eon she had probably figured it out. Though the look was also sometimes hinting towards Yuki.

' _ Tell her, tell me, explain. _ ' 

The message was quite clear, but  Ryuusuke couldn't help but avoiding the subject. Nothing seemed to fit, no introduction to the conversation. It wasn't like he wanted to talk about it either, but he knew that if they remained in the dark it could be a risk to a mission... if he lost control.

He knew it wasn't good to keep them in the dark regardless, they were his friends, right? It felt like he didn't trust them with that subject, but he did Trust them otherwise. He knew that they might look at him in another light, like so many other adults did. Though when he looked at  Obito , Kakashi,  Hamako , Iruka and the Third... they didn't hate him for what he was.

They went to Sakura's house together. Yuki went inside to help her gather the correct inventory, not wanting her to pack unnecessary things that she had a habit of doing. Eon was explaining shortly about the mission to Sakura's parents, who was bombarding them with questions.  Ryuusuke remained by the street. 

When Sakura's mother had seen him, she had visibly sneered. He turned his back and didn't say anything, but Eon didn't look pleased. She didn't comment though, not wanting to cause a scene when they didn't have much time before they had to leave.

So  Ryuusuke remained in the background, but he could feel the occasional glare that he'd get from Sakura's parents. Not a moment too soon, Sakura and Yuki emerged from the house. 

"We have to go." Eon stated simply as she gave one more look towards Sakura's parents, displeasure clear to them all. Sakura gave a nervous laugh, pushing her parents lightly back into the house. 

"Yes, See you in a couple of weeks, mom, dad." Sakura said as she walked down the stairs. She gave  Ryuusuke a friendly pat on his shoulder, which made Sakura's mother give a small, barely audible protest.

"Sakura..." She said. Hesitantly.  Ryuusuke knew that Sakura's parents had been one of those who encouraged their children's more than often less than okay behaviour towards him, but Sakura had been strangely smitten by him like many others of the girls in his class. They probably assumed that their parents didn't like him because he was a delinquent or something, but totally fell for that 'bad boy behaviour'. 

Ryuusuke didn't understand, but at least he wasn't hated by all of his peers.

Sakura didn't mind her mother, as the four of them had run quite a bit out of time. They clearly didn't exactly think through the plan of meeting up properly, but regardless, they had to deal with the outcome. The four  genin hurried towards the southern gate, using the rooftops rather than the streets to get there faster.

Obito and Kakashi was with  Tazuna at the gate, which was a surprise really. One wouldn't think either of them could actually be on time. 

"Sorry we're late, we were slightly detained by worried parents." Eon explained smoothly. It wasn't a complete lie, but then again, not the entire truth.

"It's alright,"  Obito said. "We're leaving now, no stopping before nightfall, unless  Tazuna -san requests it. He sets the pace. Go with formation O,  Ryuusuke and I will bring up the rear, Sakura, Yuki, you guard  Tazuna from each side, Eon, you and Kakashi will walk in the front. Kakashi know the  quickes t way to Wave, so don't worry about having to steer the path or anything. Are we clear?"  Obito asked them. 

"Yes!" The four  genin replied in unison, easily getting into formation. It was one of the other things they had practiced during some trainings. It wasn't often, but every once in a while, they would practice formations for travels and battles. They also had other kinds of training one some of those kind of days, like survival or what Kakashi liked to call, cat and mouse.

That was basically just them not being allowed equipment while Kakashi and  Obito , in addition to some clones, were hunting them throughout training ground 38, which was basically just a dense forest.

The walk towards wave was slow. Yuki and Sakura were chatting with  Tazuna , both of the pink haired girls being the best conservationists of their group,  Obito could probably also have talked with the client, but he was chatting with  Ryuusuke while explaining some basic word techniques and chakra theory, like how his sword was made of chakra conductive metal, which meant that he could easily channel his chakra into the sword to make it deal more damage. 

Obito also explained how elemental chakra worked particularly well with swords, especially lightning, fire and wind. Wind could make the sword cut much sharper, fire just dealt more damage, while lightning had paralytic abilities while also dealing more damage than usual.

Basically, there was a lot  Ryuusuke could do with his sword. He had a lot to learn and he had to learn it fast. He had to pass that  chuunin exam. 

Everything went quite well most of the way that afternoon, but after passing a small puddle of water, things started to go south.

Ryuusuke had noticed the puddle, but didn't think anything of it. He saw Eon and Kakashi give  each other a look up ahead and then  Obito gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. Three times. 

_ Be prepared. _

He unconsciously moved his hand to the hilt of  Tsumibito , holding the sword lightly. He hadn't actually used the blade in combat yet, but figured that it couldn't be that much of a difference after having fought with  Obito using wooden swords for quite a while.

He almost let his guard down, but then Sakura's high-pitched scream made him clutch the hilt hard. The group stopped, the  genin picking out their kunai and taking defensive positions, although  Ryuusuke pulled out his sword.

" Obito -sensei, Kakashi-sensei-" Yuki tried before they heard the voices.

"One down,"

"Sakura, Yuki. Guard the client."  Obito said quickly. He closed his eye for a second before it turned a blazing red, three black  tomoe circling around his pupil. He looked towards where Kakashi had been, which was now just a pile of wood.

Then, before he could comment on it, he noticed something right behind Eon. 

"Eon-" He didn't even finish the sentence before Eon had rolled out of the way.  Ryuusuke followed right up at high speed, slashing his sword towards one of the two people who were behind Eon. The man he aimed for jumped out of the way. He noticed a long chain connecting them.

Ryuusuke got by Eon's side quickly. Knowing that he had a better chance fighting with her at his side rather than having a side wide open for attack. 

The two enemies ran towards Sakura with the intent to catch her with the chain, but kunai thrown by  both of the pink haired girls in their team halted them in their path. The kunai embedded themselves into the ground with the chain stuck in-between, halting their onslaught. Eon used the chance to connect her shadow to one of them while Ryuusuke used two shadow clone s to hold the second one in place. 

Obito then walked over and knocked them both out with a hard strike to the neck.

"You can come out now, Kakashi." He said, looking accusingly towards one of the trees.

"Maah, I just wanted to check how well they did against other opponents. I see you weren't exactly needed." Kakashi said smugly.  Obito gave him a small glare.

"The Demon Brothers of The Mist, both missing- nin from  Kirigakure , Rank;  Chuunin ."  Obito stated. He gave his team a grin. "You did well, defeating two  chuunin . Although the odds were in your favour. No way me or Kakashi would've let you get seriously hurt."  Obito continued.

Ryuusuke gave a thumb up. 

"Eon's tactics for these situations usually help. Detain, Shadow, Hold."  Ryuu s uke winked towards Eon, who gave a small smile in return.

"Sakura, Yuki. You did well  protecting the client, which reminds me...  Tazuna -san." Kakashi said. There was something oddly sweet about his voice, but for some reason  Ryuusuke felt more malice coming from the white-haired male rather than sweetness.

"Care to explain how there were missing- nin after you?  Chuunin level no less?" Kakashi continued.  Tazuna shuddered.

-

Tazuna shuffled his feet, looking away from the obviously disapproving  jonin . He stared at the  genin , guilt spread across his face.

"It all started around a year ago... you've probably heard of him, his name is  Gato ." Sakura perked up at  Tazuna's words.

" Gato ? One of the richest men in the world? What was he doing again... delivery of materials and stuff with boats?" Sakura said, although uncertainly.

  
  
  
  
  
  
"Correct. He set his eyes on wave, a pretty central area for ships to trade and stop for fuel. He wanted to control the harbour, but he ended up controlling the entire country. He takes an immense amount of taxes, most of us doesn't even have jobs anymore. I knew this mission would be dangerous and that it's outside your criteria, I had a look at it, but Wave doesn't have ninja nor money. We needhelp." Tazuna said. Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He looked at Obito, who seemed pensive.

"You put these  genin in danger." Kakashi stated.  Tazuna lowered his head.

"I'm sorry. I need your help, please – we can't afford a higher ranked mission!"  Tazuna begged.  Ryuusuke nudged Kakashi a bit.

"Kakashi-sensei. We should help them out, not just  Tazuna -san, but the entire country. If we need more payment, they can do so when they have the money, right?"  Ryuusuke asked. Eon came up next to him.

"In addition, helping out he country in need will not only make wave owe us a personal  favo u r , but most likely be loyal to Konoha as well. Both politically and ethically, continuing the mission is the right thing to do." Eon added.

"It's only until I finish the bridge, once it's up, we can go and trade by ourselves and get help from nearby countries for support- the bridge is our only hope. I'm the leader of the project – the others won't work without me."  Tazuna said, hope glinting in his eyes.

"I think we should do it, Kakashi."  Obito said. He grabbed a hold of Kakashi's shoulder. "It's not like it's way over our league, we're two of Konoha's strongest  jonin , in addition we have four very promising  genin ."  Obito added with a wink.

Kakashi gave a long sigh. 

"If this goes wrong, you know it's me who'll lose a head." He said.  Obito grinned, a small laugh escaping him.

"Can't control him can you?"  Obito asked. Kakashi shook his head.

"He really loves his students."

"Okay,  Tazuna -san, we'll help you out."  Obito said with a smile.  Tazuna looked up with a mildly shocked expression, though it softened.

"Thank you,"  Tazuna said. 

"Anyway, there isn't much time before sunset. We should continue on the way so we can set up camp before it's dark. If you guys are up for it, we can do some light training."  Obito said with a wide grin.  Ryuusuke sheat h ed his sword, which he had forgotten to do.

"We should tie up these guys first, and send for a pick-up team." Eon stated. Kakashi nodded affirmatively. He bit his thumb, weaving his hand through a couple of  hand signs before slamming his palm into the ground.

"Summoning  Jutsu !"

A plume of smoke appeared. It was there for just a second before it cleared, a small brown pug in its place. Kakashi unfurled a small scroll, writing something down before tying it to the dog's collar. 

" Pakkun , please  deli ver this to the  hokage . It's an explanation of the current situation. Don't stop and  deli ver it straight to him." Kakashi ordered the dog.  Ryuusuke's face scrunched up slightly. Why was his sensei talking to a dog?

"Understood." The dog said gruffly.  Ryuusuke's eyes widened.

A talking dog.  _ A talking dog _ . 

The dog ran off before  Ryuusuke could comment, but he was clearly staring at the spot where it had been.

"That was Kakashi's summon,  Pakkun ."  Obito said as he nudged  Ryuusuke's shoulder to shake him out of his stupor.  Ryuusuke nodded dumbly.

"Let's go! Back in formation." He ordered to the  genin . Everyone fell back into the positions they had set out with. 

As  Obito had said, it wasn't long until the sun was setting and the group felt the need to set up camp. It wasn't long until they arrived at the harbour where they would rent a boat to get to the Wave country, but the need to rest was there.

Ryuusuke wasn't tired though, being the adrenaline junkie he was. Yuki wasn't much worse. Although Sakura and Eon both started to get a little tired. So,  Tazuna helped Sakura set up the tents, Eon was sent to gather firewood and otherwise help out, while Kakashi got to tire out Yuki and  Obito and  Ryuusuke trained with the wooden swords they had brought along. 

It was already dark before  Ryuusuke and Yuki joined the rest of the  genin . Kakashi would take the first watch of the night, which would last until midnight. Then  Ryuusuke would take over to around two am along with Yuki, Eon and Sakura would take over after them until four, where  Obito would take over until seven and then Kakashi would take the rest again after that along with  Obito . It was minimal resting time, but Kakashi and  Obito had drilled the  genin with that too, knowing that they probably should get going as early as possible the next day.

Although, when the time came for Eon and Sakura to take over the shift from  Ryuusuke and Yuki, Eon hastily pulled  Ryuusuke to the side. She beckoned him to follow her a bit away from camp.

"Okay, it's been weeks since you promised an explanation. Spill." She said.  Ryuusuke stared at her blankly for a moment, before he released a deep breath. He sat down on the grass, his head bent towards the ground.

" Mizuki -sensei... his visions and ideas were a bit off from the actual truth."  Ryuusuke started. Eon scoffed lightly.

"Demon is more or less a common opinion of me amongst many of the villagers. Is more a nickname than anything else."  Ryuusuke tried. Eon sat down next to him.

"He didn't just call you a demon. He called you The Nine-Tailed Fox." Eon stated.  Ryuusuke flinched slightly.

"Eon... I - I don't really know how to explain."  Ryuusuke said, his eyes shadowed.

"You don't know how to explain you being a  jinchuuriki ?" Eon said with a sigh. She looked slightly exasperated.  Ryuusuke started at her with wide eyes.

"You knew?" He asked. Eon shrugged.

"More like, I figured it out. You were a mystery  Ryuusuke , your behaviour and others' behaviour towards you didn't match up. I did some research after  Mizuki mentioned you being a demon, trust me that info is hard to come by."  Ryuusuke scoffed at Eon's remark.

"Tell me about it," He said, before taking in a shaky breath again.

"You don't care?" He asked carefully. Eon shook her head.

"Just don't go all crazy on us. I.. I suppose I trust you to some degree, but if you can't give us the same trust, will we ever truly be a team? That's why I want you to explain things for yourself. I didn't want to force this on you. Of course, it's a personal matter and something that I wouldn’t be surprised you're terrified of. But we're your friends, your teammates." Eon tried.  Ryuusuke nodded slowly.

"I'll... I'll tell them. Just give me some time to figure out how. Most of the people who know wouldn't want to be near me. I just don't want to lose you guys."  Ryuusuke admitted. Eon chuckled. She threw a light punch on his shoulder. 

"Go get some rest, dumbass. Don't worry, I don't think you could make Yuki hate you even if you tried. That girl doesn't have a bad bone in her body." Eon said.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"You might be right about that." 

\--

The next morning went along quietly.  Ryuusuke and  Obito were sparring again while the others packed the tents. Kakashi was chatting calmly with  Tazuna , once again explaining how dire the situation was and also how he could've solved the problem if he had explained it to the  Hokage . Just in case something of the sort would happen again.

Eon had not been throwing  Ryuusuke looks, which the blond was quite grateful for. Once Kakashi had called the time to leave,  Ryuusuke and  Obito stopped sparring and once again took up the rear positions.  Obito continuing to explain different sword styles that might fit  Ryuusuke . In addition to that, Kakashi had made the  genin practice a new  jutsu which would surely come in handy during the  chuunin exam. 

Ryuusuke had told his sensei about the deal between the  Hokage and  Hamako , which they surprisingly went along with. Although Kakashi said that he would not go easy on them, that their training would be rigorous and difficult.  Ryuusuke , Eon and Yuki had gone along with it the moment he said so, but Sakura once again seemed a little uncertain about her own limits. 

Regardless, the  jutsu they were practicing was basically a whispering  jutsu . It used a seal which Kakashi had gladly planted on them which would allow them to talk to each other, the users would hear each other loud and clear, while everyone around would barely hear them whisper, depending on how quiet they actually talked. A barely audible whisper would be like a normal person talking to them. It would only activate while they channelled chakra into the seal, which would transfer their voice. Whenever one of them used it, the others would hear them regardless if they activated the seal or not.

They practiced it along the way, talking to each other using the seal. It was a matter of using as little chakra as possible for a duration of time, in addition to keeping it stable. The more unbalanced the stream of chakra was, the more unclear their message would be.

Arriving at the port after another two or three hours, the team got seated in a small boat that would carry them across the river which ran between the closest island of Wave and the land of Fire. 

Ryuusuke had never actually been on a boat. He knew some other children went on vacation or something in the land of water, but most of the orphans and academy students in Konoha didn't leave the village before they became  genin .

The soft sounds of waves and gently rocking of the boat was honestly relaxing.  Ryuusuke leaned slightly onto Sakura, despite the small knowledge that she herself would be thinking about it for a week. Maybe more. 

Yuki was smiling most of the way. She loved being out on sea, it was something her mother would frequently take her out of the village to. Her mother knew some people who worked at one of Konoha's harbo u rs and owned a boat there, so they would go on a small trip out there. The usually went passed where the island where the Land of Whirlpool and  Uzugakure had been. 

She hummed quietly. Eon was doing her usual thinking, not necessarily paying attention to much other than that.

“Had it been a clear day, we would see an outer part of the land of whirlpool’s islands.”  Tazuna mused as he stared out at sea. It wasn’t easy to look out, the river was wide, but was still just that, a river. Although Yuki nodded in agreement, from this angle, one would probably be able to see it if it wasn’t so foggy.

“ Uzu ?”  Ryuusuke asked groggily from his seat. Yuki gave a smile.

“It’s my mother’s birthplace. Although, it no longer exists.” Yuki explained softly.  Ryuusuke stared out into the mist, hoping to catch a glimpse of the island. 

“ Uzu was wiped out during the second war, right?” Sakura asked. Yuki nodded gravely.

“My mother and aunt was sent to Konoha before it happened, so even she wouldn’t know the details. But according to my mother,  Iwa , Kumo and Kiri ganged up on  Uzushio . It was an ambush, and before Konoha’s reinforcements arrived, everything was lost.” Yuki said.  Ryuusuke looked down.

“I’m sorry.” He said. Yuki shook her head.

“It’s fine, I didn’t get to know the place, so it hasn’t affected me. Rather, I don’t think it’s something one should be sorry about, no one from Konoha played a part in  it s destruction.” Yuki said, smiling once again.

Obito gave a small pat to Yuki’s shoulder.

“The wars didn’t treat the world well, me and Kakashi partook in the third one. It’s ugly.”  Obito said, looking a little far away.

“We nearly lost everything, hadn’t it been for sensei…”  Obito mused. What would’ve happened if he had died in that cave? If Rin hadn’t made it out from their mission? He shook his head, that wouldn’t’ve ended well. 

“ Obito is right. Although, every sacrifice made during the war made sure that none of you would experience it, that’s the goal of it all in the end.” Kakashi said reassuringly. 

The boat slowed down, the guy rowing brought a finger to his lips.

“You have to be quiet now,” He whispered. “We don’t want  Gato’s goons to notice us.” They were rowing closer and closer towards a huge figure in the mist, it wasn’t easy to see what it was, but soon  Tazuna’s smile of pride was turned towards them.

“That’s the bridge.” He said quietly.

The bridge was indeed quite massive. The pillars were hard rock, beautifully crafted – smooth and round. It wasn’t exactly pretty, but one could see the expertise of the craftsman behind it.

“It’s super great, right?”  Tazuna whispered proudly. Sakura gave a slow nod. 

“It’s massive.”  Ryuusuke pointed out.  Tazuna chuckled.

“Of course, it has to be able to carry caravans of people and heavy resources after all. It will be wave’s rescuer.”  Tazuna said, his eyes drifting off to some sort of fantasy.

Not long after, a small harbour was in view. It wasn’t much of a harbour really, more a really small pier. The boat was docked silently, and team five was good to go.

They followed  Tazuna towards a path presumable in the direction of his house. The road was eerily quiet, and it had them all on edge to be honest.  Obito had warned that another attack might come, that they should be on guard.

He probably hadn’t meant for them to be jumpy.

It wasn’t until  Obito’s kunai flying right in front of Sakura, lodging itself in a tree by the road, that the silence was broken. Kakashi gave a small, exasperated sigh.

“What was that for, idiot?” He asked.  Obito stared.

“I sensed something.” He said.  Ryuusuke went over to the side of the road, disregarding  Obito’s words of caution. He saw a rabbit.

“ Obito -sensei,”  Ryuusuke chuckled. “it’s just a white rabbit.” 

Obito looked over at Kakashi, his eyes still narrowed and focused.

Ryuusuke headed back into the group when he suddenly threw himself onto the ground. Not soon after, Kakashi’s order of taking cover sounded through the area,  Obito pushing Sakura and Yuki down with him. Kakashi made  Tazuna take cover with showing experience.

A sword, a massive sword, flew over their heads and hit a tree nearby – cutting effortlessly halfway through before stopping.

The six ninja stood up carefully,  Tazuna holding his cowering position a little longer.

A figure soon appeared on the sword.

You couldn’t see most of his face, it being covered in bandaged on the lower half, much like Kakashi’s. A mist headband was tied sideways on his head, but his outfit was clearly remaining parts of the mist uniform.

“ Momochi Zabuza , Demon of the Mist,”  Obito stated.  Zabuza gave  a n amused chuckle.

“The Cold-blooded Kakashi, The last Uchiha,”  Zabuza said. “This might be interesting after all. Why are the two of you baby-sitting?”  Zabuza asked, it was clear that he was actually wondering, but it was also somewhat a mockery.

“Not baby-sitting, training.”  Obito corrected with a smirk.  Ryuusuke saw that he remained in a somewhat relaxed posture, but after weeks of sparring with the Uchiha,  Ryuusuke could see the readiness of his teacher.

“So even the White fang’s killer son can have a heart?”  Zabuza asked. Kakashi had remained silent, although  Obito gave a small chuckle.

“ I think that goes without a saying, no one is alive if they don’t have a heart.”  Obito joked.  Zabuza returned the joke with a smirk.

“What if I take yours? Or perhaps, one of your… cute little  genin ,” Right after he had said it,  Zabuza disappeared. Soon, a thick white mist covered the area, making it difficult to even see one’s own hand. 

“There are eight points in the body that provides instant death if struck, which one would you prefer I take aim at?”  Zabuza’s voice rang. It seemed to come from every direction, and a huge wave of fear surged through the  genin .

Ryuusuke couldn’t move. His feet was lodged to the ground. The fear he experienced was greater than anything he had felt … well, except for the  Kyuubi . The thought gave him a small amount of courage. He shouldn’t have to be afraid of some human called a demon.

He had a real one inside of him.

“ Ryuusuke , Sakura, Yuki, Eon, don’t worry,” Kakashi said softly. “I won’t let anything happen to you,”

His words of reassurance made Eon and Yuki twitched. Once Eon got a hold of herself, albeit still shaking a little from  Zabuza’s killer intent, she grabbed Sakura’s shoulder. She gave the other girl a reassuring nod. Sakura returned with a small determined smile. 

The four  genin jumped to  Tazuna’s location, guarding each side of him with a protective kunai in front of them. There was too much space between Yuki and  Tazuna however, and soon they could feel a  monst rous presence behind them.

“-No!”  Obito’s voice was loud and clear. Soon, they heard a clash of metal, a thump to the ground and a yelp from  Tazuna .

Obito was standing between  Zabuza and Yuki. Yuki was kneeling on the ground, having recovered from being pushed by her sensei.

“The four of you, keep guarding the client. Kakashi, back me up.”  Obito growled out. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

Ryuusuke and Sakura led  Tazuna away from  Obito and  Zabuza , while Eon quickly helped Yuki get on her feet and reunite with the other  genins . 

Obito was still blocking with a kunai, having a match of strength between a massive sword and his small knife. With a red  gli n t , he slid  Zabuza’s sword next to him, using gravity to his favour. He hurriedly slashed after  Zabuza with the kunai, which was dodged by a slide to the right. 

Obito jumped away, forming a series of hand signs before exclaiming;

“Fire Style: Great Fireball  Jutsu !” In addition, another voice rang out just afterwards.

“Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!” 

The two massive forces of nature combined, sending a huge fireball towards  Zabuza .  Zabuza retaliated with another series of hand signs.

“Water Style: Water Dragon  Jutsu !” A huge dragon looking mass of water raced towards the fireball, but when they clashed it only produced a large amount of mist, the fireball however, did continue towards  Zabuza .

Using the mist to his advantage,  Zabuza disappeared.  Ryuusuke didn’t exactly know how to follow the movements of the  jonin . Kakashi was absolutely gone, while  Obito was moving so fast that he wasn’t exactly sure what was going on.

Zabuza was being played with, that was for sure. He might not realize it himself, but where  Obito had  blind - spots , Kakashi was covering. The teamwork of the two was impeccable. 

One would've thought they had won. It wasn't until a cold wind spread across the battlefield that they realized that the  bat t le was far from  done. The genin once again straightened up, keeping their defensive positions. 

"Haku..."  Zabuza's voice rang out. "I told you to stay put."

Suddenly, a smaller person stood in the middle of the battle field.

"Sorry,  Zabuza -san, I thought we should even the odds." The new person, Haku, presumably, said.

Haku went through a couple of  hand signs , before ice spread from underneath his feet. He  tur ned towards  Obito , throwing three  senbon towards the  jonin . Obito dodged, it wasn't that difficult, but  Zabuza used the move as an opportunity to follow up with an attack.

Ob ito would've been hit hadn't Kakashi  interpreted the attack. A  well- aimed kunai stopped  Zabuza in his tracks, allowing  Obito to land and get a hold of his surroundings.  Obito and Kakashi looked at  each other before giving nodding. 

Kakashi went after  Zabuza ,  Obito heading towards Haku's location. With the lack of cover, both parts of the battles were less confusing, that didn't mean that  Ryuusuke or the other  genin actually managed to follow their movements. It wasn't until Kakashi's movements slugged more and more that they could actually see the  jonin .

He had several  senbon stuck to several parts of his body. His right arm was hanging limply, showing that he couldn't move it at all.

A sudden surge of water brought the  genins ' attention towards  Obito and  Zabuza , they were standing on a lake, two large water dragons battling each other above them. 

When the two dragons collapsed, a wave of water blinded the two  ninjas.  Obito was then attacked by another  Zabuza coming from his side.  Ryuusuke stared. They were clones, but their movements were slower, more careful.

He then felt the KI from earlier from behind the group. Sakura let out a small gasp.

"He's behind us!" She screamed.  Ryuusuke ignored his need to groan. Looking behind himself, barely glancing  Zabuza's figure from behind him,  Tazuna and Sakura who was on his other side. 

"Sakura, defend. Eon, back me up."  Ryuusuke said quickly as he circled around the group, his sword  unsheathed . 

"Think you're a swordsman?"  Zabuza asked mockingly.  Ryuusuke didn't reply. He brought his hands up in the familiar hand sign.

"Shadow Clone  Jutsu !" He said, three clones popping up beside him. He looked at Eon, who was standing on his side, although a l ittle further away.

Two clones rushed at  Zabuza , but they weren’t actually putting up a big fight. When the smoke of their defeat  rised , Eon's shadow reached towards  Zabuza location. It connected,  Zabuza's movements stopped and  Ryuusuke rushed at him. When he slashed, he was harshly kicked to the side by  Zabuza .  Ryuusuke stared wide-eyed. 

"Those shadows aren't strong enough to hold me, Nara."  Zabuza mocked. He looked at  Ryuusuke , who was  now standing up slowly.

"You hold a sword you can't wield. A sword is nothing without the right hands."  Zabuza said.  Ryuusuke gripped the handle of  Tsumibito tightly. 

"I'm learning."  Ryuusuke growled. 

Ryuusuke pushed himself up, once again running towards  Zabuza's clone. He pulled out three kunai, which was hanging from a ninja  wire . Once he got close enough,  Zabuza brought his sword down towards him, fast.

Although,  Ryuusuke's training hadn't been for nothing. Barely sliding beside the sword as it crashed into the ground,  Ryuusuke slid underneath  Zabuza . He threw the kunai towards different locations around  Zabuza . 

Zabuza gave a small chuckle. But then, six other kunai came from other directions. Yuki and Eon was standing on the other sides of  Zabuza , the three of them forming a sort of perimeter as Sakura continued to guard  Zabuza .

"Do you think wire will stop me?"  Zabuza asked. Eon chuckled. 

"No," She said. "But this will," she said as she sat down, her shadow reaching towards  Zabuza . 

Zabuza was going to move, but then he noticed that the ninja wire had not only surrounded him, but also connected around some of his limbs, halting his movement. Eon's shadows connected. Yuki gave a small smile.

"Boom," She said.

Paper bomb tags, spread across the ninja wire which she herself had thrown, now exploded around  Zabuza . The clone  splashed out of existence , the water it was made of evaporating. 

Yuki and  Ryuusuke grinned, both of them turning to Eon with those sun-blinding smiles. Eon simply gave a small smirk. Sakura gave a supporting whoop in the background.

Not soon after their small victory, Kakashi's grunt of pain shook them out of their glory. "We have to back him up!" Yuki exclaimed as she ran towards Kakashi.  Ryuusuke looked at Eon, as if waiting for orders.

"I'll guard  Tazuna with Sakura, you help Yuki support Kakashi-sensei." Eon stated.  Ryuusuke nodded and ran after Yuki.

Kakashi wasn't out at all, but it was obvious that he had seen better days. Or better opponents. That Haku was a  long- distance fighter, the  senbon was thrown with deadly accuracy. Kakashi had guarded himself well, but the more  senbon that hit him, the more he was slowed down.

"It's dangerous to remove the  senbon in battle, especially without proper equipment," Yuki stated as she looked at  Kak ash i's injuries. 

" Ryuusuke ," She started. "I need you to hold of that guy until I can get Kakashi-sensei a bit more away." Yuki grabbed Kakashi, trying to lift him. Had Kakashi been unconscious , it would not work at all, but Kakashi used Yuki as a support, helping himself and her to get out of the crossfire. Kakashi stared at Yuki.

"You should n't be doing this..." Kakashi said. He turned to look at the ground before them. 

"Respectfully, Kakashi-sensei, we're a team.  You and  Obito -sensei aren't alone in this fight. We took out  Zabuza's clone. We can do this, together. But first, I have to take out the  senbon so you can fight normally again." Yuki said. Her face was neutral, like she had entered some sort of zone.

Kakashi  di d n't say anything, he just let himself be supported as he walked over to Sakura and Eon's location. Along with  Tazuna , of course.

Ryuusuke was doing quite well, considering that he was a newly minted  genin .

Sure, the  senbon hit him quite a lot. He  couldn't see them. He couldn't dodge or defend as well as Kakashi had done. Shadow clones were backing him up, making sure that all his sides  weren't undefended. 

"I don't really like to hurt people." Haku's voice rang out. "But to protect my precious people, I will do anything." He finished.

Ryuusuke didn't reply. He readied his  sword, holding it in front of him. He could feel anger bubbling up inside him. He knew the feeling. He knew that the Nine-tails would use battle adrenaline and his anger against him. Amplify it until he could no longer control himself.

It had happened before, but not at this scale. 

A quiet, peaceful life might've suited him better. Away from all the battle and bloodshed. Though he had no time to think about that now. He had to act, he had to stop this guy.

He rushed towards Haku. 

Haku was faster than him though, blurring out of view, the other boy gave  Ryuusuke a hard punch to the back, shov ing him to the ground. 

Ryuusuke didn't let it  slide though. He grabbed Haku's leg, dragging the  senbon -user to the ground. He rolled atop of the other. He swung a fist down towards his face, which was dodged by moving  it s head slightly to a side. He cringed, the pain from his fist hitting the ground was unpleasant.

Haku used the moment to his  ad v antage . He spun  Ryuusuke over, so that he was on top, He grabbed  Ryuusuke's neck harshly.  Ryuusuke struggled against his grip, trying to reach for his sword. It was too far away, he could feel it with his fingertips, but wasn't able to grab it. His vision was blackening, he felt his body responding less and less. 

A faint sound of Eon's voice was in the background, but even that was being muffled out by the sound of his blood pumping inside his head.

Then, a clear, malicious chuckle rang through his mind. Red flushed his vision, barely seeing Haku's form. The anger inside him doubled, the desperation to live sending power throughout him. He grabbed Haku's shoulders with his hands.

" ** Let go. ** "

\--

Obito felt a shudder as a familiar feeling of evil  spread across the place. He looked over at the source, where he could see the support  Zabuza had brought with him sitting on top of  Ryuusuke . It was clear to him, seeing how his vision wasn't obscured by the mist because of the  sharingan .

"Oh no," He said as he noticed the faint red hue around  Ryuusuke . It hadn't manifested a form or something, it was just a pure red hue of chakra being released. 

"I don't think you have to worry about your student, Haku will kill him and then the rest of your team."  Zabuza said as he brought the massive sword down towards  Obito .  Obito dodged it, attacking with a roundhouse  kick . Their  contin u ous battle of attacks and counters had gone on for a while, and  Obito could feel himself tiring for every second that went by.

Had it not been for the body flying towards  Zabuza at record speed, he might've been hit by that sword that was aimed for him.

Zabuza and the figure crashed to the ground, the figure – which  Obito cold now identity as that  Haku person, was knocked out cold. Not soon after, a blur of blue and grey flashed by him. It landed not far from  Zabuza and Haku, and one could feel the Killer intent reaching from it.

Obito could now see that it was  Ryuusuke . The red hue around him wasn't there anymore, if it hadn't been for the aura, he might've thought that  Ryuusuke had  supressed it. No,  Zabuza was looking straight at the kid, his eye's slightly wide in shock.  Ryuusuke wasn't moving.

" Ryuusuke !"  Obito called out. The blonde turned towards him, and he could feel his blood freeze. 

Ryuusuke's usual  sky blue eyes was a deep hue of red. His pupils  was turned into slits, although the rest of his appearance hadn't changed.  Obito had seen a  jinchuuriki when it lost control before, he had encountered one during the war, but it was nothing like this.

The other  jinchuuriki had been angry, raging with no control, but  Ryuusuke had no expressions. Just those deep, red eyes. The birthmarks on his cheeks had deepened slightly, making him seem a bit more feral, but it wasn't much help for his appearance.

Ryuusuke didn't look at him anymore, he turned back towards  Zabuza , although his posture did seem a bit more relaxed. Or at least  Obito hoped that was it. 

" ** Leave ** ."  Ryuusuke's voice was not loud, nor was it  particularly rough. But there was some sort of power behind his words anyway.

" ** Leave, or you'll die. ** "  Ryuusuke said.

Zabuza was staring, but a quick glance towards Haku made him... soften?  Obito was sure he had seen wrong, but  Zabuza gave him a quick look.

"I'll be back for your heads. I never fail on my jobs. That old man will die." He promised before disappearing in a swirl of mist.  Obito hurried over to  Ryuusuke . He wasn't moving, he looked at  Zabuza's location.

" Ryuusuke ?"  Obito trie d. The  genin turned towards him, eyes still red, but they looked very alarmed.

" Obito -sensei-" He choked out as he stared down at his hands. They were stained with blood from his encounter with Haku. His breathing was turning more and more rapid as he fell to his knees.  Obito gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, his eyes  sorrowful .

"Sleep," He said.  Ryuusuke looked up and was met with the merciless stare of the  sharingan .


	5. Kakashi does something for once

Obito had been carrying the unconscious Ryuusuke back to  Tazuna's house. Upon arrival,  Tazuna's daughter Tsunami had quite hurriedly embraced her father before ushering the ninja inside to care for the sleeping boy. 

Kakashi had  numerous wounds on his body as well, from all the  senbon , but they were not of any obstacle except from the occasional stings.  Obito himself had only gotten sore and tired from his battle with  Zabuza . Yuki, Eon and Sakura were all unharmed, although Sakura was a little shaken up from the encounters they'd had with the rogue ninja.

Yuki seemed in some sort of  dil emma , while Eon was looking cautiously at  Ryuusuke . She had been doing that the  entie way back.  Obito had a feeling that she'd seen  Ryuusuke's ... outburst.

Ryuusuke was laid to rest in guest room which Tsunami had graciously offered, while the rest of them would also stay there for the night, it was necessary that  Ryuusuke got his rest. 

Tsunami prepared food for them while they settled themselves in the  living- room . Kakashi was sitting calmly, eyeing his  genin with a  wond rous glint. 

"Okay everyone." Kakashi said. "You did very well, especially you, Eon, Yuki. Your  quick thinking and strategy defeated  Zabuza's clone, possibly our  client's life. Sakura, you did an excellent job of following protocol and staying in our position. Yuki, while I'm glad you went to back me up, you should've been more cautious around enemy shinobi. The client takes priority." Kakashi said.  Obito shook his head at this.

"That's what Kakashi says, but doesn't  entirely think. Remember, those who-"

"abandon the rules are trash," Eon interrupted.

"but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash," Sakura and Yuki  finshed in unison. Kakashi gave a small chuckle.

"Right,"  Obito grinned. "Now,  Ryuusuke isn't in danger, he's just  unconscious . He'll probably wake up some time after dinner. Due to him involving himself and Haku in me and  Zabuza's battle, he gave me the momentary upper hand which forced  Zabuza and Haku's retreat. But, he will come back."  Obito said.

"This means that we will put up night shifts, in addition to patrols during the day and a bit more training to prepare. Me and Kakashi will take the longest shifts during night, while you guys will fill in the gaps. During the day, either me and Kakashi will be with  Tazuna with two of you, while the remaining two are training with  Obito ." Kakashi continued.

"For the most part, we will be working on stamina, evasion and battle tactics."  Obito stated. "Seeing how we're in for an actual battle, we should be working on using  your already  acquired skills to use them efficiently in battle. Especially supporting each other during battle without getting in each other's way."  Obito continued.

"We'll have a closer look at it tomorrow, first of all, we need  Ryuusuke to wake up and get some proper rest. We can probably rest easy tonight,  Zabuza is in no condition to attack us now, if anything, we can sleep with one eye open." Kakashi said. 

"Eon,"  Obito said. "Would you join me outside?" He asked. Eon nodded, following her sensei out.  Obito sat down on the pier which  Tazuna's house was built on. His eyes were looking over the water, which was now shimmering with the golden light of the sun setting. Eon sat down next to him, looking questionably towards the man.

"I noticed you had a lot of your attention on  Ryuusuke on the way back, anything important?"  Obito asked. Eon gave a questioning look.

"Sensei, I was close by when  Ryuusuke got caught by Haku. They were having  some sort of  awkward taijutsu match, before Haku got the  upper- hand . He was being strangled when suddenly he just... threw Haku off him. It was something strange about his behaviour, his movements. I figured it had something to do with... his inhabitant." Eon tried to explain.

"You know?"  Obito asked. Eon nodded.

" Mizuki -sensei let it spill during our encounter, but I figured out some things on my own.  Ryuusuke also explained it to me not long ago." Eon replied.  Obito grabbed her shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze.

"Remember, there is a law against talking of it. Only the  Hokage and  Ryuusuke can reveal it. It will be there until one of the two deems it otherwise. Be careful with this sort of information, Eon."  Obito said. Eon gave a confirming nod.

" Ryuusuke was  lo sing control, wasn't he?" Eon asked quietly.  Obito pursed his lip.

"I'm not sure. He seemed at least somewhat aware of his surroundings. He is nothing like the other  jinchuuriki I've seen."  Obito admitted. 

"I'm going to talk to the  hokage when I get back, I 'm also  going to talk with Kakashi later.  Ryuusuke was in a state of shock when he came to after  Zabuza left, I put him under a  genjutsu to make him sleep. He was entering a panic attack and we  didn't have the time to deal with that."  Obito told her.

"I released the  genjutsu when we got here, but it  usally takes the target an hour or two before they wake up again. It's a side effect."  Obito explained. Eon gave a small nod.

"I'm glad to see that you still see  Ryuusuke as a friend, regardless of his status."  Obito said with a smile. Eon returned it with a smile of her own.

"He didn't exactly gain the  biju when I learned of it,  jinchuuriki or not,  Ryuusuke is still an idiot and a knucklehead. Usually thinks with his fists before his brain. Though, he does have his moments." Eon said.  Obito laughed.

"That is true, he reminds me of his  fath -"  Obito choked on his words. Eon whipped her head towards her teacher.

"You know them too?" She asked.  Obito gave a long whistle.

"Let's go inside." He said and stood up. Eon huffed. Even after uncovering  Ryuusuke's status as a  jinchuuriki , everything about him remained a secret. Even he didn't know most of his own history.

When they came back, they were called into the kitchen by Tsunami. Ryuusuke was eating some soup Tsunami had prepared.  Obito looked at him, mildly shocked.

"You're up,"  Obito said with a grin.  Ryuusuke turned toward them.

" Obito -sensei, Eon." He stated. He gave a small grin. Eon sighed. Only  Ryuusuke would wake up from a side effect which usually lasted an hour or two in fifteen minutes or something.

"See you finally decided to wake up from your nap." Eon said with a smirk.

"Can't miss out on food now, can I?"  Ryuusuke replied teasingly.

" Ryuusuke ,"  Obito called out.  Ryuusuke looked at his sensei  questionably . "We need to talk later."  Obito stated.  Ryuusuke's face fell slightly, back into a neutral look. His eyes darkened slightly. 

"Yes," h e replied.  Obito went over to his student, giving his shoulder a squeeze. 

"Don't worry, it'll work out." He said before sitting down. Kakashi, Yuki and Sakura soon came into the kitchen. 

As they ate, discussing the different options they had for training and patrol shifts, a rather small looking child came down from the second floor.

"You should give up." He said with a low voice. The team turned to the child, halting their conversation.

"Inari!" Tsunami reprimanded.

"Your son?"  Obito asked. Tsunami nodded. Inari stood in the doorway of the  kitchen,  arms crossed. 

"There's no hope for defeating  Gato ! No one can defeat him!" Inari said angrily. Eon and  Ryuusuke shared a look, both of them  withholding the urge to roll their eyes.

"There's always hope," Sakura said, a small 'I'm trying to be supportive'-smile on her lips. 

"Bah, you're all idiots! There are no heroes in the world!" Inari countered.

"We don't need heroes."  Ryuusuke stated. "We need people who are willing to do something rather than cry and whine about it." He stared at Inari. Inari didn't budge, they looked at each other for a  while before Inari spun his heel and ran back upstairs.  Tsunami called after him, but her voice fell on deaf ears. 

"I'm sorry about him... ever since his father died  he hasn't been the same." Tsunami said quietly.  Tazuna looked at his plate. 

"His name was  Kaiza . He wasn't Inari's actual father, but rather the adoptive one. He was the Wave's hero, he became a symbol in the rebellion against  Gato .  Gato made an example of him, then the rebellion died. No one has dared to do anything since. We work on the bridge to get help from  other places, but day by day, workers leave."  Tazuna said quietly. 

" So, in the end, everything goes down to  Gato ." Eon stated.  Tazuna and Tsunami nodded. 

"Remove the snake's head and the body stop moving?"  Ryuusuke proposed.  Obito released a nervous chuckle.

" Now , now, I'm sure that  building the bridge is a much more peaceful way of resolving this situation."  Obito said.  Ryuusuke turned to him.

"But sensei, even if we build the bridge,  Gato can just take control of that too! The areas around here aren't exactly rich, neither do they have any  ninja. It's not safe for them to rebel against a man who has how many mercenaries and rogue- nin at his disposal."  Ryuuskue argued.  Obito looked at Kakashi.

"We could... I'm not sure if the Third would agree."  Obito stated. Kakashi shrugged.

"If I vouch for it, I think he'll budge. I can also just go do it and get it done." Kakashi suggested.  Obito spluttered.

"Kakashi this is why you didn't get a team alone!" He exclaimed.  Ryuusuke looked at the two men with expectant eyes.

"Fine,"  Obito muttered. "I'll send a bird to the  Hokage , if anything, he might approve and send some more discreet people."  Obito stood up, walking out the door.

"Well then, we might just take care of it the easy way." Kakashi smiled. Tsunami and  Tazuna stared at him, their eyes a bit wide.

"What?" Sakura asked. Yuki remained silent, while Eon was smirking slightly.  Ryuusuke was staring at his sword which was currently standing by the door.

"Sometimes we forget, being a ninja isn't about a hero, but protecting the land of fire's interest. In addition, we're  mercenaries and  assassins ."  Ryuusuke said. 

"That's a bit overdramatic now, isn't it?" Kakashi said with a smile.  "We're, in most definitions, tools to be used by the fire lord, but actually the  Hokage is the one in control, the lord is more of a... figure." Kakashi continued.  Ryuusuke smiled at that, he turned to the door when  Obito came back in.

"We can expect a reply towards the evening tomorrow, I believe. Depends on when the  Hokage reads our message."  Obito sighed.

"Kakashi, if we're in the clear, you're going."  Obito stated. Kakashi nodded with an innocent smile. 

"Anyway,  Obito -sensei, you wanted to talk?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Obito nodded. 

"We can take it outside." He said and opened the door again.  Ryuusuke stood up, gave the others a small wave before following  Obito outside.

"You knocked me out,"  Ryuusuke stated once the door closed behind him.  Obito shrugged.

"You were panicking, another thing I didn't want to explain to the rest of the team. Or would you have liked that conversation?"  Obito asked.  Ryuusuke looked away.

"Eon knows, she has been quite... observing as of late."  Ryuusuke muttered.  Obito laughed.

"I've noticed." He said. He sat down by the water, much like he had done earlier with Eon.

" Ryuusuke , you lost control back there."  Obito said.  Ryuusuke sat down next to him.

"The  kyuubi's chakra is connecting with my emotions."  Ryuusuke stated. "When Haku was... strangling me, the survival  instinct kicked in.  The chakra makes me feel so strong, so invincible. It is and will probably continue to grow more and more difficult to control."  Ryuusuke explained.  Obito nodded slowly.

"I'm sure you'll learn how to control it. There are people who believe in you now, and believed in you when the burden was placed there. Hell, it was the fourth  hokage who placed the  kyuubi inside you, he believed you could carry that burden."  Obito smiled.  Ryuusuke looked up at him.

"The fourth did? Why? I was a child – a baby!"  Ryuusuke said  incredulously .  Obito laughed. 

"Sensei had his ways."  Obito gave  Ryuusuke's hair a ruffle, as if the already mess of a hairdo needed that.

"The fourth was your sensei?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Obito nodded. 

"Me, Kakashi and  Nohara Rin, the head nurse of the hospital, were all trained by the fourth  hokage , well, before he became  hokage . He was no push-over, but actually a very kind man. You would've loved him."  Obito said, his eyes clouding slightly.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"You know, when I was younger I was desperate to figure out who my parents were. From dreaming that they had simply lost me and was searching for my location to walking around asking people. One day, I wondered, what if the fourth had been my father. I was thinking of the  kyuubi , like if he sealed it in me, then he must've been there when I was born right? Or did he just pick out a random child that was born that day?"  Ryuusuke sighed.

"It was an idea too good to be true,  so I let it vanish. If the fourth had been my father, then no one would've treated me like they  did... l ike they do."  Ryuusuke smiled solemnly.  Obito looked at him for a second before wrapping his arm around  Ryuusuke's shoulders.

"Your parents loved you very much. There are many people who were close to them, but they had many dangerous enemies."  Obito started, but  Ryuusuke interrupted him before he could finish.

"And I must prove that I can protect myself before the Third tells me."  Ryuusuke stated. "I have to pass the  chuunin exam."  Obito nodded.

"You will."

\----

The next few days went off without a hitch. Between training and eating, the team took turns on guarding  Tazuna and the house. The workers on the bridge had thinned out during the days, but with Kakashi,  Obito and  Ryuusuke supplying with shadow clones, the numbers had increased. In addition, having the ninja work on the bridge had proven more efficient as well. They didn't tire easily, nor were they afraid of  Gato's goons. 

One evening, a messenger bird that the team had awaited was flying above them while they trained.  It flew down, landed on  Obito's arm gracefully. He grabbed the note attached to  it s leg before it flew off again.

"Kakashi, you're good to go."  Obito sighed. Kakashi turned to him with a raised eyebrow.  Obito gave him a small glare.

"No witnesses."  Obito said. "Remove your headband. This is not Konoha  business ." Kakashi nodded. He removed the cloth of the headband, inverting in before tying in oppositely from what it had been, making sure that it still covered his left eye without showing the plate identifying his  allegiance .

"I'll be back by morning," Kakashi said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Okay team, we're  going to work with nature chakra while Kakashi's gone."  Obito stated.

" Ryuusuke , your primary work is now with lightning. Eon, work with fire, Yuki –  you work with water and Sakura you work with  eart h ."  Obito stated. The four  genin nodded.  Obito created three shadow clones.

"I'm going to, technically,  personally help you all. First, we're going to go through the basic control  tenchiques and then we're going to work on actual  jutsu . Remember, an affinity for a  jutsu doesn't mean you can't use other styles, it just means that your  jutsu with that style is much stronger than the others. It's also easier to control them."  Obito stated.

Yuki took her style like fish to water, nearly literally. Water being fluid, her motions when controlling it was graceful, almost pretty to look at. She was standing on  top of a nearby lake, moving streams of water around her. She was going to control water like a second limb, so now she was practicing of moving larger portions of water without any of it falling on her.

To say it simply, she was already soaking, but had progressed by heaps and bounds after more tries. Sakura as well had gotten far, the two of them being more adaptable with finding new ways to work with chakra. 

Eon was having a hard time with controlling fire. For all her wits and knowledge, controlling something as violent  and random as fire was hard. At  first , she worked with smaller flames, like a candle. Making it flicker, extinguishing it, lighting it again. She tried later to work on larger flame, but it proved quite dangerous.

Ryuusuke was no better,  lightning was working with him in a way he didn't quite understand, but he couldn't control it properly. It was, exploding around him, per say. Several burns and other wounds were covering his arms from less than fortunate accidents, but they healed after just a few minutes. 

They worked on  their  respective elements the re st of the evening, before heading in to eat dinner with  Tazuna , Tsunami and Inari.

Speaking of Inari, Yuki and Sakura had worked wonders with the boy. Having talked with him every now and then, telling different stories and tales about ninja and supposed heroes, he came to wonder about what it was like to be a ninja.  Ryuusuke joked about  him moving to Konoha to take his own training, but the boy was set on becoming a carpenter like his father and grandfather before him. He had been more insecure and scared rather than  spiteful , just taking it out in different ways.  Ryuusuke could relate, somehow. 

The next morning, Kakashi returned. He looked tired, that was for sure. But he didn't look harmed or in any sort of pain.  Obito sighed when his teammate came in the door, most of his clothing had been damaged, bloodstains and tears was scattered across his torso, he honestly looked like a mess.

"Mission completed." Kakashi  said with a smile.  Obito stared blankly at him.

" Zabuza ?" He asked.

"Gone, he stole some of  Gato's money and was on his way." Kakashi stated.  Obito slowly nodded.

"We continue to stay here until the bridge is done, but supposedly, there won't be any more action."  Obito said. The  genin got the message loud and clear, before they continued the routine they had created for their time here. 

The next few days went off without a hitch, as Obito had said, no attacks or scuffles had occurred.   
  
The bridge was done and Wave was, apparently, saved.

The team was thanked and  Tazuna said that he would speak to the  Hokage about the correct amount of payment. In addition, the word of  Gato's demise had reached the town. The money the man had stolen from wave had been returned, and a rebuild of the village had hastily been drafted and begun.

After saying the  proper goodbyes , team 5 was on their way back to Konoha.

The trip took around two days, the team was much more relaxed and used the travel roads between Wave and Konoha as a good way to train on setting up good camps when going on long term missions. In addition, Kakashi taught them some important survival skills from his time in the ANBU.

\--

Upon arrival, the team was given a small break for the next few days. It was mostly to restock on supplies and get back into the normal training routine, and it was well spent. 

Ryuusuke , Eon, Sakura and Yuki did not take a break, but rather, trained even harder than usual. They kept this up for around two or three weeks, applying it to their normal training routine with the several D-rank missions they were tasked with doing. 

One morning, a series of events that majorly affected the team begun.

It had been normal most of the day, they had met up and begun training. However, Sakura seemed to be somewhere else  in her head. It wasn't until their lunchbreak that the conversation finally came.

"I'm leaving Team 5." Sakura said. The team was sitting at Yakiniku Q, a barbeque shop run by some  Akimichis . 

"What?"  Ryuusuke asked  loudy . Sakura looked down at the floor. 

"I want to become a medical ninja, but there is a lot of training and preparation. I've been offered an apprenticeship at the hospital, b ut I won't have time to stay here with you guys." Sakura explained. Eon didn’t say anything. Kakashi and  Obito also remained silent, they did however not seem surprised, indicating that they already knew it.

"Sakura's grades from the academy and recent interests in our training shows an unusual possibility for talent in medical ninjutsu. I recommended her to check it out at the hospital.  A medic- nin checked her out, and the possibility there is insane."  Obito said with a small smile.

"Although we recommended it," Kakashi stated. "Sakura's choice in this was her own. You guys will have to support her. Sakura will also be training with us occasionally, seeing how a medic  nin will also have to learn how to defend herself or himself. This is not goodbye." Kakashi said, pressing a reaffirming hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"You really want this?"  Ryuusuke asked. Sakura's eyes met his. She nodded.

"Then you better be the best  at it , you're a valuable member of this team, don't waste it to become some mediocre medic  nin ." He said. Sakura nodded in reply.

"I will." She said.

"I think it's wonderful that you found something you really want to do," Yuki piped up. She looked at Sakura with a small grin. 

"In addition, medic  nin's need almost perfect chakra control. I don't think there is anyone in our age group with your kind of talent for it," Eon added with a smirk.

"Nice, and we as Team 5 will always support you."  Obito said with a wide grin following right after.

"Great, now, the  food  will get cold if we don't eat." 


	6. The Chuunin Exam

When Ryuusuke woke up  that morning ,  he couldn't help but to  feel outmost exhilarated.  Finally, the day was here. The beginning of the  Chuunin Exam.

He had been training for this the last three months, day and night. While he had  occasionally not slept, he had never faltered with his routine. From having some trouble with book smarts, the use of shadow clones and increased his knowledge and tactics. In addition, his amount of practicing ninjutsu and  taijutsu techniques with his  clones had boosted his powers  immensely , comparing to another  genin . 

With the  register form in hand, he hurried to the academy where he would meet up with Eon and Yuki. On his way there, he accidently ran into a boy his age, clad in black.

"Watch where you're going!" The boy demanded.  Ryuusuke straightened his back and turned to face the other. 

"Sorry, I was in a hurry."  Ryuusuke stated.

"Yeah, no shit! Fucking leaf  wussie ." He said.  Ryuusuke stared him up and down. The man had a black  onesie , with cat-like ears on the hood which was like a cap or something? There was also purple face-paint on him.

He looked so weird.

The headband however, clearly stated that he was from the hidden sand village. On the other side of him, a girl, probably older than  Ryuusuke and that guy, was standing and looked distressed.

" Kankurou , we're not here to cause trouble. Do you want to get disqualified before the exam has even begun?" She asked.  Ryuusuke quierked an eyebrow.

"Sand  nin , here for the  chuunin exam. Well, I have no time for you know. I need to get to the exam, on time."  Ryuusuke said seriously, narrowing his eyes.

Kankurou looked at him up and down.

"You're  gonna get yourself killed kid, better not try. Maybe I'll help you not reach that place, seeing how you ran into me."  Kankurou said,  malicous intent in his eyes. 

A presence, stronger than any other  Ryuusuke had felt, suddenly appeared on a tree by the side of the road.

" Kankurou ," a male voice said.  Kankurou spun around, facing the tree. His former attitude and arrogance disappeared, replaced with fear.

"G- Gaara ." He stammered out.  Ryuusuke turned to where ' Kankurou ' was facing. 

A  boy, with red hair, teal eyes and a tattoo of the kanji for 'love' written in red on his forehead. There was a  murderous intent surrounding him, he had bags under his eyes and seemed like he hadn't slept in years.

** " ** ** Shukaku ** **."  ** A **** deep voice rumbled inside  Ryuusuke . 

"You." The boy, presumably named  Gaara , said. He  di sap p eared before reappearing in front of  Ryuus u k e .

"You're like me," He said dangerously low. "Mother wants your blood." 

Ryuusuke felt the adrenaline in his body increase tenfold. "I don't think I want that." He replied. He walked a step closer to  Gaara . The redhead looked alarmed for a second, before returning to his cold  demanor .

"Control your Pet."  Ryuusuke growled. He walked off, leaving behind a startled Sand team.

\--

Eon arrived at the academy at the same time as Yuki.  Ryuusuke hadn't spent time at their house at all this week, having talked about some project of his. They hadn't commented on it, but Eon was sure that  Ryuusuke had had a less than healthy week. 

Ryuusuke arrived  sooner rather than  later, she noticed  that he looked a little ... intense. 

"Are we good to go?" Yuki asked.  Ryuusuke gri nned at them . All three took out the registration form, showing them to  each other and that they had signed. 

"Let's show them the true power of Team 5," Eon said with a smirk. They went inside the academy. There was a couple of others walking  there towards the third floor, where they were supposed to meet. 

When they arrived at the second floor, they were met with quite the commotion. A group of people were gathered in front of one of the classrooms. Two  genin \- or perhaps  chuunin – were standing cross-armed in front of the door, blocking the way.

"Please let us in," a male voice said. Getting a closer look, one could see that he was clad in a full, green  coloured , spandex. Orange leg warmers were at his feet and his forehead protector was with a red band, tied around his stomach. His hair was in a strangely straight bowl-cut and his eyebrows was... insane. 

"You guys are too weak to become  genin , you should give up now." One voice said.  Ryuusuke looked up at the classroom's  door sign . It read 302, but he was sure that this was the second floor. He looked over at Eon who nodded. They made their way through the crowd, walking over towards the stairs to the third floor. 

Had Yuki looked around, she would've noticed that a pair of white eyes were following their movement. 

Arriving at the third floor, the team headed down the hall towards room 302, which was a larger classroom  where they usually gathered during ceremonies or parent's day, not that  Ryuusuke had participated. 

In front of the door, stood Kakashi. 

"I see you all decided to come," He said. Eon smirked. 

"We all know what's at stake here." Yuki added seriously.  Ryuusuke didn't say anything, but they could feel his determination from where they were standing. The  genin handed Kakashi their registration forms, and he stepped aside.

"Good luck." He said as they entered.

The classroom was crowded. But  had  it not been for the commotion on the second floor, it probably would've been a lot more.

" Ryuusuke-kun ~!" A shrill voice sounded through the classroom.  Suddenly ,  Ryuusuke could feel a body latched onto his side. Upon further  investigation,  Ryuusuke could see that it was Ino.

"Hello, Ino." He said politely, but one could hear the discomfort in his voice.  Shikamaru and  Choji came up after their blonde teammate.

" Yo , Eon."  Shikamaru said. Eon gave a nod to her cousin.

" Shikamaru ." She stated.  Ryuusuke had never really inquired on the two Nara's relationship, but he knew that they had some sort of rivalry when it came to smarts. Despite  Shikamaru's immense laziness. 

"Hello guys!"  Choji said happily. He was eating chips out of a bag he had probably just bought before arriving here, not that any of those present were surprised by that. The  Akimichi are famous for being hungry at all times after all, and  Choji is known as a glutton even amongst them.

"Hahaha!  So, you guys are here too?" A loud voice shouted a bit to the groups side. A squeaky bark followed soon after.  Ryuusuke defeated the groan he felt coming at just hearing the voice, but gave a polite smile anyway.

"Dog breath, how are you?" He said calmly. 

"Skipper," Kiba followed.

"Mutt ,"  Ryuusuke countered.

"Alright you two, split up." Yuki said sweetly.  Ryuusuke looked at his teammate hesitantly, but stepped away anyway.

"Got yourself a girlfriend,  Ryuu ?" Kiba mocked.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

"No, I got myself a team. Unlike you who left yours behind."  Ryuusuke said and looked towards Hinata and Shino who were now walking towards them.

"Hello," Hinata said meekly. 

"Good morning," Shino said, his voice as monotoned as ever.

The group were talking, although  Ryuusuke tried to make Kiba calm down a little, but to no avail. However, a new figure walked up to them.

"You should be a little quiet." A male said. The group turned towards the guy.

"Who are you?" Kiba asked rudely. Eon gave him a glare, which promptly made him stay quiet.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto, a fellow Konoha  genin . You're the rookies, right?" Kabuto asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"You're not I presume. This your second time?" He asked. Kabuto smiled and shook his head.

"This is my seventh time, I'm kind of an expert." He showed a couple of cards up.  "These are my information cards. I've got pretty accurate information on most contenders." Kabuto  said. 

Ryuusuke narrowed his eyes.

"What've you got on us then?" Eon asked. Kabuto smiled politely.

"Nara Eon, fifty-seven D-ranks, and … an A-rank? Mediocre  taijutsu , ninjutsu. No  genjutsu . High intelligence and tactics." Kabuto replied. "Is a part of team five along with  Ryuusuke , Yuki and two  jonin sensei, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha  Obito ." He said. He turned to Yuki.

"Uzumaki Yuki, fifty-seven D-ranks, one A-rank.  Taijutsu is average, Ninjutsu and chakra capacity is slightly above, no  genjutsu and doesn't seem to be on the tactics part." Kabuto continued.

" Ryuusuke .  Fifty-Seven D's, one A. Average  taijutsu , some  kenjutsu , high ninjutsu and chakra capacity, no  genjutsu , intelligence seems to have potential, but  un used ." He  finished .

"Why in the world have you guys got an A-rank?" Kiba asked loudly again.  Ryuusuke turned to give him a smirk.

"Mission went a little off the charts, but it was nothing we couldn't handle." He said arrogantly. Kiba grimaced.

"Anyway, you guys should be quieter. There are a lot of people who see you as easy meat, and it doesn't help putting even more targets on your heads." Kabuto said. The group turned  towards the rest of the participants. Most of them were looking at them, glaring. Some were ignoring them completely. Amongst the crowd,  Ryuusuke could see the boy he had met earlier.  Gaara .

Suddenly, Kabuto moved quickly to the side, a humanoid form swinging a fist past him. Kabuto wasn't actually hit, but then his glasses suddenly shattered and he grabbed his ear in pain.

"ALL RIGHT, MAGGOTS. SETTLE DOWN. AND YOU BACK THERE, NO FIGHTING!" A loud voice boomed throughout the classroom. "Do you want to get disqualified?!" He asked loudly. The  genin that attacked Kabuto turned around. 

"Sorry, I was just so excited." He said. 

The man who had spoken earlier was standing by the blackboard. He was wearing a bandana with the leaf headband on his forehead. His face was badly scarred and a serious expression seemed to be sown on his face. A long leather coat was above his grey coloured K onoha uniform. 

"My name is Morino  Ibiki , I'm the first  examine r for the  chuunin exam." He said with a sadistic smile.

"Shut up, stay quiet. Grab a number from the box down here and sit down on your assigned desk. No talking."  Ibiki said. The  genin did as told.  Ryuusuke was sitting in the far back, so he could see  where everyone was sitting. All the teams had been split up, which was fine by him really, his team didn't need to be together to communicate.

"The first exam is a written one. There are a couple of rules. "  Ibiki started.

"First, being caught cheating, talking or any of the likes will give you one strike. If you get three strikes, you and your entire team is disqualified." Ibiki said.   
"Second, there are ten questions in total, your team need at least fifteen points to pass in total." He continued.

"Third, if one of your teammates get zero points, you're all disqualified."  Ibiki smirked.

"After forty-five minutes, we'll announce the tenth question. Alright? Begin."

Ryuusuke flipped his paper around, and was, to say the least, astounded by the  difficul ty of the questions. They hadn't covered this in the academy at all. He could answer some of the questions, albeit barely. His time studying up on theoretical things this week had proven useful. He was pretty sure Eon would know a lot of questions though.

" _ Eon, are you understanding any of this?"  _ He asked, using the whispering  jutsu they had learned. They had worked a lot on it lately, so they barely had to speak the words at all, it was more like they were only mouthing them.

" _ Yeah, I got them all. There is  _ _ also _ __ _ chuunin _ _ planted among us. Three of them, made to pass like a  _ _ genin _ _ team. They have all the questions, people are using their skills to copy of them. Intelligence gathering test."  _ Eon said. She told both  Ryuusuke and Yuki the answers to the first nine questions. 

After waiting for around ten minutes,  Ryuusuke decided that sabotage was  also something he could do. He had worked  on his shadow clone  jutsu to the point where he could stop the smoke from coming at all. Using this, he transformed it into a fly.

The clone flew over to a random  genin , he was from leaf, but none that  Ryuusuke knew. The fly was just annoying the kid, to the point where he began waving around a lot and looking at where the fly was.

"Participant 242, disqualified. Leave the room, teammates will follow."  Ibiki said. 

There were several more following, participants left one after one, and the room which first consisted of around sixty to seventy people, were now down to around fifty . 

Fo rty -five minutes were up, and  Ibiki got their attention.

"Alright, now before I tell you the tenth question, a special rule follows with."  Ibiki paused slightly, taking in the panicked look of the  genin before him.

"You can choose if you want to take this question or not," Kiba's voice suddenly interrupted  Ibiki .

"Why would we not take the question?" He asked loudly.  Ibiki gave him a small glare. The  Inuzuka sat down promptly.

"If you decide not to take the question, your points are reduced to zero and you and your team fail."  Ibiki said.

"However, if you decide to take the question and fail, you will be disqualified and never be able to take the  chuunin exam ever again. You would be a  genin forever."  Ibiki said. 

Kankuro , the sand  nin that  Ryuusuke had run into earlier that day, spoke up at this.

"That's ridiculous, there are many people here who have taken the exam before!" He  exclaimed .  Ibiki smiled.

"You guys were unlucky, I'm the proctor this time. I am the god here."  Ibiki said. "Please raise your hand if you want to leave."

" _ We are not leaving."  _ Ryuusuke whispered to his team. Yuki looked a little uncertain, but didn't protest. Eon leaned back in her chair as an  affirm ation . 

There weren't many people who left, it was  basically just two teams. After waiting for a couple of more minutes, after everyone who wanted to leave had left,  Ibiki clapped his hands.

"Alright,"  Ibiki said.

"Everyone here... passes." 

A wave of protests, especially from Kiba and  Kankuro , rang  throughout  the room.  Ibiki slammed his hand down to shut them up.

"Listen, the life of a ninja is full of risk. If you and your team were on a mission to recover stolen  intelligence from your village, but then suddenly you face an opponent stronger than you first anticipated, would you leave? Abandon your mission and let your enemy have all your  villages ' secrets ?"  Ibiki asked. The  genin remained silent.

"Then what was the point of the first nine questions?" Kiba asked loudly.

"Intelligence, gathering information without getting noticed. Those lousy enough would be disqualified, no one who can't cheat properly can be a ninja."  Ibiki replied.

"In the world of shinobi, intelligence is the key. Information is the most valuable asset of them all. To give up the secrets of your village is a great shame. Others trying to steal intelligence it what gave me these,"  Ibiki took of his bandana, showing that his head was covered in scars and remains of puncture wounds.

"The risk is there, but as long as you have the willpower, no one can take what you have."  Ibiki finshed .

A  sudden shattering of a nearby window interrupted the proctor, and a  female jumped in front of him. Two  kunais brought a large banner into the room, which read:

The beautiful, awesome, proctor of the second exam;  Mitarashi Anko.

" Listen up prey- !" The woman, probably named Anko considering the banner, stopped mid-sentence.

" Ibiki , there are so many of them, have you gone soft?" Anko turned towards  Ibiki . The taller man shook his head.

"No, we just have a lot of talented ones this year." Anko shrugged at the response.

"No worry, half of them will be gone when I'm done with them," she said. She clapped her hands to get the  genins ' attention again.

"Training ground forty-four, you have thirty minutes." Anko said. One after one, the teams left.  Ryuusuke , Eon and Yuki stopped when they were outside the academy.

" Preparation time?" Yuki asked. Eon looked to the ground.

"Most likely not, most participants now are foreigners. It can be hard to find the way around Konoha's training ground system. Although it does give us an advantage.  Ryuusuke's house is on the way towards the training ground, and we have used his apartment as a place to store up equipment." Eon stated.  Ryuusuke chuckled nervously. 

Ryuusuke's apartment, to say the least, was a total mess. The floor had been splintered up and almost seemed burned inside the training room he had created. The bed looked  unus ed while the kitchen most likely had been hit by something big. It didn't even look like a kitchen anymore.

"You want to tell us what that project you were working on was?" Eon asked, she was unamused by the look of the apartment and was probably, to  Ryuusuke's dismay, going to tell Yoshino.

"You know you could've stayed with me or  Eon, right?" Yuki added, she looked concerned. And now  Ryuusuke was going to have  Hamako after his ass as well, great.

"In my  defenc e , I've had super progress. Though the  jutsu isn't complete yet and have been proven to be  quite , violent when out of control. In  addition, I was sparring with some clones and we went a little over the top."  Ryuusuke explained.

"Anyway, the equipment is still in the storage room."  Ryuusuke went over to a small door on the side of the training room. He had built a make-shift storage room when he had gotten more and more equipment, like training swords or other weapons he had decided to try out. He hadn't liked the others as much as  Tsumibito though. 

Gathering different survival  kits they had prepared ahead, feeling like those times Kakashi had brought them out into the woods for training, just to leave them there for a couple of days.  Ryuusuke picked up  Tsumibito on the way out of the apartment, and the team were on their way once again. 

Training ground forty-four was a forest. No doubt about it. A big, monster-inhabited forest. Team 5 had never been there, but  Obito had mentioned it a while back, talking about something of a 'real' survival exercise could be in order soon.

The other participants had gathered there already, although there were a lot more  than what  Ryuusuke had seen in the  classroom. Assumingly, there were more groups than he first had anticipated.  Sure enough, they were  around eighty or so now. Anko was standing in front of them with crossed arm and a smug smile playing on her lips.

"Okay, thirty minutes are up." She called out.

"This exam is quite simple. This is the F orest of  Death. Your objective is to take two scrolls, heaven and earth, to the tower at the centre of the forest. There is a five - day time limit. Each team will start at one gate, like the one behind me, with one scroll. You will have to steal a scroll from another team to pass." Anko explained.

"Some smaller things, your entire team have to be able to fight to pass once you entered the tower. If one of your teammates are  incapacitated , your entire team will fail. And you  cannot open the scroll under any circumstances while you're out there in the forest. " Anko said sweetly.

"You're allowed to enter the tower before the five days are up if you have both scrolls, otherwise you will have to be in the forest for five days. No quitting in the middle. Some might die from the harshness of this place, like hunger or man-eating beasts." 

"In addition, you will have to sign this," she lifted up a sheet of paper. "This is a form you need to fill out to get the scroll from those  chuunin over there. It states that Konoha is not responsible for your death or wounds from here on in." Anko explained. A wave of outrages filled the clearing.

"The reason is simple! You guys are  one  team against others, if battle occurs one of you might get hurt or die. This is of course frowned upon, but allowed in this exam. If you don't agree to this, you may not sign the form and go home." Anko said. 

"There is a real risk of dying." Eon whispered. Yuki nodded.

"I am not quitting."  Ryuusuke stated. His teammates smiled.

"We know, but we're doing this as a team. I don't want any of us dying in there." Yuki whispered. Eon nodded at that.

" Of course, we'll try, but we're not continuing if one of us  get s too badly damaged." Eon stated.  Ryuusuke looked away.

"I can't quit." He stated. Yuki rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's fill out the forms and get our scroll." She said.  Ryuusuke nodded. Eon took care of handing in their forms and taking the scroll. She  lead the rest of the team to their assigned gate. There was a small speaker on the side.

"Now, we'll open the gates in about ten minutes, seeing how some teams need to cross around half the area to get to their gates." Anko's voice sounded through the speaker.

The ten minutes seemed much shorter, probably was as well. Anko's beginning signal sounded and the gates sprung up, allowing the  genin to enter the forest in front of them.

Deciding to use the whispering  jutsu to communicate rather than actually talk to each other, the team felt pretty safe from being caught off guard by  henge or being split up. They had increased the radius of the whispering  jutsu as well, and they estimated that they would be able to talk to one another mostly everywhere in the forest.

They had used  Ryuusuke's eno rmous chakra capacity to use shadow clones as scouts for traps and other teams they could steal a scroll from. They had gotten a heaven scroll from the  chuunin , which meant that they had to get an earth one.

" The  soundest tactic is to go to the tower and steal a scroll from approaching teams."  Ryuusuke said. Eon nodded.

"Although, if they have gathered the scrolls they could be above our level. First of all, we have a five - day time limit , it takes around three to four hours to get to the tower if we go at high speed. We could  just wait until  Ryuusuke's clones find a team we can take a scroll from, then avoid meeting other teams. We will probably need our strength later. This is a survival exam, most likely. We know there are huge insects and animals inside here." Eon said. 

"Okay.  So, we wait then. Should we find a place to set up camp?" Yuki asked. Eon hesitated for a moment.

"We can find a place to hide for the time being, set up some traps. But we can't stay there if it gets dark before we get the scroll. Staying in one place for too long can prove hazardous." The Nara said. 

"There is a hollow tree not far from here, a clone was dispelled once he saw it. Probably thought it was important."  Ryuusuke said. He  lead the way towards the tree. It didn't take long to get there, around ten to twenty minutes. That's was when a rain of kunai came upon them.

They were easily avoided sure, but now there was three rain  ninja standing in front of them. Reading themselves for battle, team 5 held a calculating gaze towards their opponents.

Ryuusuke rushed ahead first, two shadow clones appearing by his side with crackling lightning around his hands.

He engaged in hand to hand combat with one of them. The rain  nin tried to dodge, but  Ryuusuke had obviously more experience with close quarters than his opponent. Most likely a  long- distance support fighter. 

Yuki had gone up against t he other, with Eon setting up traps and plans in the area around them. Yuki's close quarters had improved a lot. She had obviously gotten serious advantages from training with a fellow stamina junkie. 

Using chakra to improve speed and strength, which she did somewhat lack, she easily lead the enemy ninja into one of Eon's traps. He was quickly trapped inside a ninja wire net which quickly tightened around him, giving him small cuts around his body.

It was after she turned around she heard the sickening sound of a sword piercing flesh.  Ryuusuke had his opponent pinned to the ground, the black katana embedded into his shoulder. 

"What scroll?" He asked. The rain  nin screamed in pain as  Ryuusuke twisted the sword ever so slightly.

"H-heaven!" The  nin screamed.  Ryuusuke looked towards Eon. 

"Check the other one." He said. Eon nodded, looking quite neutral despite the situation. Yuki didn't say anything, but decided not to look towards  Ryuusuke at the moment.

"Where's the last one?" Yuki asked as Eon came up next to her.

"He got trapped over there," Eon said smugly. Yuki turned around to see the third ninja wriggling around in a  spider web of ninja wire. 

"He wasn't that strong, nor smart. He stepped into the trap area before I'd even finish it. That's why the form isn't completely perfect." Eon said. Yuki felt a  sweatdrop fall from her forehead as she smiled.

"I have monsters for teammates." She joked. Eon shrugged as she started to search the Yuki had tied up. Sure enough, a heaven scroll was located on his body.

"Let's keep it." Yuki said. " So we disqualify more teams." Eon couldn't help but to smile a little at Yuki's  assesment .

"Shrewd, I like it." She said with a  mischievous glint in her eye.

Ryuusuke took a kunai out of his pouch, using the handle to strike down on the  nin he was holding down with his sword, knocking him out promptly.

"If another team doesn't get to them, or the monsters do, this one can probably untie the others. Let's move."  Ryuusuke said.

"Couldn't we just put them in a safer spot?" Yuki proposed.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

"Right now, it's kill or be killed. This is the only mercy we can give them. The sooner we get to the tower the better." He said.

"I also do not want to meet up with that sand team." He said. Eon looked up curiously as that.

"What happened?" She asked.  Ryuusuke's eyes narrowed slightly.

"He's bad news, he is leaking killer intent. We met right before the first exam. Wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows."  Ryuusuke said. 

"I see," Eon said. 

They continued towards the hollow tree,  promptly finding a suitable way to hide their tracks and location.  Ryuusuke used transformed clones to scout for them while they were sorting out their plans a  litt le bit more inside.

"We have enough  food if we don't  l ose any of  our supplies during battle. We could last out the five days if anything went to go awry." Yuki stated.

"If anything, we could still go to the tower and set up traps there to catch someone." Eon said.  Ryuusuke chuckled at that.

"My  initial plan," he teased. Eon punched him lightly in the shoulder. Suddenly,  Ryuusuke stiffened.

"My clones all dispelled.  Kunai rain. They were fast, way too fast."  Ryuusuke said. He stepped outside quickly, Eon and Yuki following him.

The  moment they stepped  outsi de , a  rag ing gust of wind threw them in different directions. Eon managed to latch  herself onto a root to stop her from crashing into the ground. Yuki was sent so far up that gravity helped her regain her bearings, making it possible to send  herself to safety on a thick tree branch.

Ryuusuke on the other hand, hit with the brunt of the wind, was sent straight into a tree with a sickening crunch, knocking him out . 

Eon was the first one to gather her surroundings. Looking towards were the wind had come from, she could now find a grass ninja standing at the other side of the clearing they were in.

Eon  channeled chakra to the whispering  j utsu seal, reaching out to her  teammates. T he only one who replied was Yuki, who told her that  Ryuusuke had been knocked out cold. Eon felt the need to curse.

Sure enough, she and Yuki could hold her own against opponents. But there was no doubt about it that  Ryuusuke was more of a  close-up fighter than the rest of the team. In addition, the opponent they were facing seemed to be way out of their league. His aura screamed for them to run, to hide as far away as possible. Though her head said that, she knew that  Ryuusuke wouldn't be able to move and she and Yuki couldn't carry him and be fast enough to run away. Perhaps they weren't even fast enough to run away without the extra weight.

"It's a shame the container was knocked out so quickly... I was hoping to see how he would do in battle..." The grass nin said.  She was smiling  sinister ly while watching Eon and Yuki with intense eyes.

"Although I admit, it's easier to get to him now that he's  unconscious ." She continued. Eon narrowed her gaze.

"What do you want?" She asked carefully. The grass  nin chuckled.

"To see the fox's power, but it looks like he is out of commission..." She drawled. Yuki looked confused, but didn't say anything. Eon however, knew exactly what their opponent was on about.

"You won't be getting to him anyway." She said. She took out a kunai, standing in a defensive position. The grass  nin chuckled. She sped towards Eon so fast she couldn't keep up, it was only barely that she threw herself to the side that she didn't get hit head on.

Crouching, a stream of kunai flew above her head, Yuki supporting her from the  side-lines or above. Yuki would tell her the direction she would move to with the whispering  jutsu , making sure Eon was out of the crossfire.

The grass  nin chuckled again.

"Interesting," She said. 

Eon used the  body flicker jutsu to appear behind her opponent, throwing a roundhouse kick at her. The grass  nin dodges flawlessly, countering with grabbing Eon's arm and throwing her away. Soon following came a flurry of kunai towards the Nara. 

Eon did counter some of them, but it seemed like the grass  nin didn't want to let up. More and more of the kunai hit Eon, and her moving around didn't exactly help.

' _ come on.. _ .' She thought. ' _ Faster... _ ' A throbbing pain spiked up behind her eyes. Throwing herself to the side with chakra infused in her legs, she rolled along the ground and closed her eyes tightly together. When she opened them again, she could  _ see. _

Everything seemed to be in slow motion, although the kunai thrown at her was more of a regular throwing speed, it truly showed what  opponent they were up against. 

The grass  nin looked surprised. 

"My, my... what a turn of events." She spoke. She seemed to be considering something, a  thoughtfu l , yet predatory look on her face. 

"While I originally came here for the  kyuubi , it seems like I have a better option right here..." She said. She sped towards Eon again, latching out a kick to Eon's side which sent the Nara straight into a nearby tree. 

The grass  nin followed afterwards quickly, but then her neck suddenly extended and slithered towards Eon. She tried to get up, but not before the head had sunk  it s teeth into Eon's neck. She screamed in agony as venomous chakra  spread throughout her body. Yuki let out a scream, she rushed towards Eon's location, only to stop dead in her tracks. 

It was like the temperature had dropped with several degrees. The air seemed to thicken, it got hard to breathe. Waves of killer intent pushed towards them in irregular patterns. Massive, nothing Yuki had ever felt before. She couldn't move, it felt like she was choking. She turned her gaze towards the source and heard herself whimper.

" Ryuusuke ?" She quivered.

Ryuusuke was standing upright. A deep red, nearly black aura shimmered around him in volatile movements. He was staring at the grass  nin , his usually  sky- blue eyes replaced with a strong red. His pupils had turned to slits and his whisker-like scars had deepened. He had no special facial expression. Just an intense gaze towards the retreating form of the grass  nin's head, returning to her body.

Then he vanished.

Yuki didn't see what happened, she could only hear the sound of flesh being cut. When her eyes moved towards the source, she could see  Ryuusuke's bloody hand and the face of the grass  nin having been torn off like a mask.

The grass  nin brought a hand to her face, grabbing the loose skin and peeling it off like an extra layer of skin.

"So, the  jinchuuriki is awake." The grass  nin replied, a now masculine face showing. What even was she? Was she even a she? Yuki didn't know, nor did she care. 

Ryuusuke grabbed  Tsumibito from  it s sheath. Speeding towards the grass  nin , sword in hand, one could see crackles of electricity running from his hand down the blade. Yuki couldn't see what was happening.  Ryuusuke had had a sudden boost in power and speed, and she had already had struggles with watching the grass  nin .

Sparks of electricity and violent red chakra blazed around the two, and she could occasionally see blood falling onto the ground. She shivered. What was this? What  were they?  She hurried over to Eon, finally getting her legs to move. Eon was unresponsive,  shivering from whatever their enemy had done to her.  There was a black marking on her neck, while the puncture wounds from being bitten was still there, they didn't look infected.

A blur of red rushed past Yuki at high speed, crashing into a nearby tree. With the momentum of the thing being stopped, Yuki could see the battered shape of  Ryuusuke .

He didn't seem to be breathing. Even after having been sent crashing into a tree, he stood up as if he was possessed. There was no facial feature, he didn't seem to be bothered by the situation at all. But he looked so... unfamiliar. 

T he red hue around him started to deepen. Red, bubbling chakra surfaced from his skin, enveloping him completely. Ear-like shapes flickered above his head a tail of red chakra trailed behind him. Yuki could feel the pressure he  e mitted like it was physical waves. She could remember the aura. From when  Ryuusuke was battling  Zabuza .

It was  Ryuusuke's rush of speed that brought her head back to reality. She tried to follow his movements, only to see a snake slipping out of the grass  nin 's sleeve to meet the blonde head on. It bit down hard, and one could see the skin of the snake blistering inside the chakra.  Ryuusuke halted as the pain of the bite settled in. In that moment, the grass  ni slammed  Ryuusuke into the ground, before doing a simple set of seals. He slammed a hand down on  Ryuusuke's ab domen . A scream was let out from her teammate, but it didn't sound like him.

The voice was deeper, more feral. There were still traces of his normal voice, the rusty background sound from w h en he spoke, but still, they were just small traces. Hints that Yuki's teammate hadn't been replaced by some sick monster. Hints to that her teammate actually was that thing lying on the ground over there.

"The Nara will come to me." The enemy  nin said. Yuki stared at him, frightened.

"Who are you?" She asked. The man chuckled dangerously.

"My name is  Orochimaru ." He said lowly. He grabbed  Ryuusuke and threw him towards Yuki and the  unconscious Eon. When Yuki looked down at him, she could see that he was also out cold now.  His  clothes were torn, there was blood leaking out of his body. But in the end, it still looked like him. 

The  feral look and killer intent that had been leaked was gone, and while she knew that she couldn't help but to feel frightened. When she looked up again,  Orochimaru had disappeared. 

She struggled to pick up Eon and carry her to their little hideout.  Ryuusuke was more or less dragged, because he was too heavy for her to carry. Picking up his sword from the battlefield, she couldn't help but to notice the blood which was on the blade. For a moment, she wondered if  Ryuusuke had named it intentionally.

' _ Sinner _ .'


	7. Yuki is the only sane person in this team

It  was nightfall before Yuki finally got herself to rest. Her  thoughts were all over the place, and  the fever Eon had come up with had not helped.  Ryuusuke remained silent, but his wounds were more severe than she had  initially thought. Perhaps that was why he was  unconscious ? Yuki couldn't say for sure. She had checked his abdomen several times to see if there was some damage she had missed,  due to  that being where that...  Orochimaru had struck him, but there  were no  physical markings other than the bruising closer to his ribs.

She had safely secured the hollow tree they first set out to get to. Using a low-class  genjutsu to secure the entrance, along with some foliage and bushes to physically cover it up, she was pretty sure she could relax at least a little while.

Leaning back against the tree's wall, she sighed. It wasn't necessarily comfortable, but it kept them somewhat warm and safe. Yuki felt herself fidgeting, she had no idea what she was going to do. She'd already set up traps outside, and though they didn't have the same creative stroke of genius as Eon 's did , but they could hold out for a while.

It was silent. The only sound you could hear was the ragged breathing of Eon or the occasional whimper she let out. Yuki wasn't sure what to do. She'd notice the strange marking that was on Eon, but she wasn't able to identify it. It didn't look like any seals her mother had shown her.

Listening to the nightly atmosphere, the crickets and birds making their small chirping noises, Yuki couldn’t help but to feel slightly at ease. Not much, she knew she was in a terrible situation considering the area they were in and how badly her teammates had been affected by their encounter. 

A snap of a twig outside shook her out of her short-lasted peace.

She knew none of her traps had gone off. She would've heard. They were pretty noisy to alert her just in case  she had fallen asleep.  She crept outside from their little hideout, warily checking the  environment as she scouted for any possible enemies. She didn't see any.

"An animal?" She pondered out loud. A sudden rustle of clothes behind her made her turn around last  minute be fore a wave of sound slammed into the side of her head, following with a physical punch to her side, flinging her across the small clearing.

"Where's the  jinchuuriki ?" A voice rang out. Yuki felt herself choke on her own breath as they mentioned it. 

T hey were most likely referring to  Ryuusuke .

She hesitated. A slight feeling of nausea tried to overwhelm her. The  dizziness from the blast of whatever that was kept her from standing upright just yet. She was kneeling, trying to find the source of the voice. 

"What do you want with him?" She rasped out. She could hear a chuckle.

"We need him, I heard he has created quite a spectacle. Wouldn't it just be easier for you just to hand him over?" A female voice replied.

Yuki felt her response fail her on  it s way out. 

Would it  be easier? With  Ryuusuke gone, they would have no specific goal to actually pass the exam. She could get medical help for Eon. Whatever  Ryuusuke had become when they met  Orochimaru would be... gone.

"See? You don't even want him here. No wonder,  Jinchuurikis are  _ monsters _ , after all." A cruel laugh escaped the male talking. Yuki looked to the ground.

Monster...?

Yuki looked up at him, defiance glimmering in her eyes.

"I don't know  what he is... but I know who he is. At least who he was, if that  Ryuusuke is  gone,  then it's up to me and Eon to get him back." She exclaimed. 

She ran towards one of her enemies, her movements sluggish but still able to  create some sort of unpredictability. She threw several  shurikens ahead of her, following up with quick jabs towards her opponent. She dodged a punch, but then that insanely loud sound blasted into the side of her head. She was kicked from behind, shoved into the ground before the female she had heard earlier grabbed her arm,  twisting it upwards while her leg was standing on Yuki's shoulder, holding her down.

"You Leaves are so weak. Nothing without  your teammates . Sound is strong, you can't defeat it. This can still end the easy way, just hand over the  jinchuu -" The female was a bruptly stopped by a swift kick to her face. Yuki  could see another male  unconscious in the foliage. 

With the female being ripped away from her hold on  Yuki, she tried to stand up, but found her leg pretty useless at the moment.

"Yuki." A familiar voice stated. She turned around to see...

Eon.

I t  defi n itel y was Eon, but there was something horribly off about her. The mark on her neck had expanded, creating a flaming pattern across the side of her face and down her neckline, but the hoodie blocked Yuki's view of  its entirety . 

"What happened?" She asked, but it was more of a statement. Eon always knew what was going on, this was no exception.

"They're here for.... him." She said, the last part being spoken as nothing but a whisper. Eon smirked, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Her aura was almost, malicious. Nothing like  Ryuusuke had emitted before, but not far away. It felt almost like  Orochimaru . 

She sped  towards the last one of the enemy ninja, dodging his sound waves easily with the  sharingan , grabbing his so favoured arm before twisting it in a very wrong way. 

He screamed. 

"That's what you  get  when you attack my teammate, scum." Eon said. She grabbed a kunai from her pouch, holding the sharp edge against his throat.

"I should end you right here." She whispered.

Yuki rushed forward, grabbing Eon's wrist regardless of the throbbing in her leg.

"Eon, stop!" She exclaimed, horrified about what her friend was going to do. Eon halted. She turned to look at Yuki with a questioning gaze.

"He'll most likely cause more trouble for us later." She stated. Yuki looked up, her eyes pleading. Eon turned away. The flaming patterns on her face receded, the malicious intent succumbing finally. 

"What scroll do you have, and who has it?" Eon asked. The sound  nin scrambled about, pointing  towards his  unco nscious teammate that was lying underneath the tree by the edge of the clearing. 

Eon looked at Yuki, who hastily made her way over to the man, searching his equipment for the scroll. Luckily for them, it was earth.

"I got it!" She said and returned to Eon side. Eon nodded, she flipped the kunai around and smashed the hilt into the side of the  nin she was holding's head. 

"He'll at least be out of it for a while." She said

"Let's tie them up and get to another location." Yuki suggested. Eon nodded and found some ninja wire from her pouch. 

With Yuki and Eon supporting  Ryuusuke together, they manged to find themselves a new hiding spot by a river.  Ry uusuke remained motionless throughout the night. When morning came, Eon and Yuki was sitting side by side, with  Ryuusuke laying on the other side of the small cave they had hidden in.

" So. .." Yuki started. Eon turned to her.

"What is he?" She asked softly. Eon looked to the ground, finding a small pebble to fiddle with as she gathered her thoughts.

"It's not really my story to tell." Eon said. Yuki looked away.

" So, you knew." She stated. Eon placed her hand on  Yuki's shoulder.

"He was basically forced to tell me due to the circumstance. It is a very difficult and personal thing for him, he wasn't exactly treated well for it either." Eon admitted. Yuki didn't meet Eon's gaze. 

"He doesn't trust -" 

"He doesn't trust me." Yuki interrupted Eon. Her brows were knitted tightly together in frustration. After a moment she took a deep breath before standing up.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I need some air." 

\--

Ryuusuke opened his eyes. He would've thought that whatever  Orochimaru did would've made his body ache for ages, but he didn’t feel anything. Standing up, he found his feet submerged in  water,  all the way up to his  ankles . 

He looked around, there was  only a dim, yellow-hued lighting. Long  hallways stretching at both sides. He turned left.

With further inspection, he decided that this was a sewer. At least of a sort. The only sound he could hear was dripping ,  small drops falling down from pipes and into the water  that had gathered on the floor.

Continuing down the hall, he noticed a low rumbling getting louder and louder. While he was a little worried, he wasn't scared. He felt almost at ease. 

He arrived at a large room and found himself staring straight into a couple of deep red eyes. 

" ** Hello there, midget."  ** A deep voice said. 

"Hello,  Kyuubi ."  Ryuusuke responded. 

** "You've gotten yourself in quite the folly, haven't you? The snake did quite a number on the seal. You're knocked out."  ** The  kyuubi said.  Ryuusuke rolled his eyes.

"What did he do to the seal?"  Ryuusuke asked.

** "It's called the  ** ** five- ** ** pronged ** ** seal, it's quite good. You won't be able to  ** ** remove it unless you have the counter  ** ** jutsu ** ** , which re ** ** quires you to know quite a lot about  ** ** fuinjutsu ** ** first."  ** The  Kyuubi said.

"And do I need to loosen it?"  Ryuusuke asked. The  Kyuubi laughed.

** "Your chakra control will be of that as a toddler if you would've tried it now. Your reserved have been  ** ** dimme ** ** d ** ** to that of a small candle instead of the great bonfire that  ** ** usually ** ** is you."  ** The  Kyuubi said. 

"Any other ways to remove it? Or is the  fuinjutsu thing the only one?"  Ryuusuke asked. The  Kyuubi chuckled. 

** "It's the only way for you, but I could help you out."  ** The  Kyuubi said.  Ryuusuke narrowed his eyes.

"How, exactly?" He asked. The  Kyuubi brought a clawed paw around the bars of his cage.

** "I can force it out. It could bring you a lot of pain though, but will save you the hassle of not have enough chakra to help your... teammates."  ** Kyuubi said.  Ryuusuke looked at his hand,  seemingly deep in thought.

"Do it." He said.

\---

Eon rushed into the cave,  Ryuusuke was screaming, writhing in pain. She quickly grabbed  Ryuusuke's body, trying to hold him down from accidently hurting himself against the cave walls. 

"Yuki!" She shouted  desperately. Yuki came into the cave soon after, breathing heavily. She had probably  ran to the cave as soon as  Ryuusuke's screaming could be hear.

"What's happening?" She asked. Eon shook her head frantically.

"I don't know!" She said. Suddenly,  Ryuusuke's hand came rushing down towards Eon's face in his flailing. Red blood trailed down from Eon's cheek. Three red, freshly cut wounds decorated the Nara's face.

"Shit-!" Eon exclaimed as she tried holding  Ryuusuke tighter. His nails had almost turned into claws, and he had once again those deeply pronounced birth marks . 

"Is this what happened earlier?" Yuki asked, terrified. Eon shook her head again.

"No, this is different!" Eon exclaimed. 

Then  Ryuusuke's eyes snapped open. His eyes were flickering between his normal blue and the slit red eyes from earlier. He  opened his mouth in a gasp, making it visible that his teeth had turned into sharp fangs.

" ** G ** e ** T ** **** ** o ** U ** t ** ** \-- ** ! "  Ryuusuke's voice was hoarse, wavering between a deep baritone and his  usual , nearly sounding double as he spoke.

Then suddenly, a burst of chakra emitted for him with a scream, he  clutched his stomach tightly as he gathered his breathing. Turning around, Eon and Yuki was met with his usual blue.

"H-hey." He said tiredly. He then met Yuki's terrified gaze and felt himself shrink. 

" You're an idiot." Eon sighed  exasperated . 

"I'm a living idiot, which is a  plus in my book."  Ryuusuke stated. He d ragged himself up against the wall, resting against the cold stone of the cave.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. Eon shook her head tiredly.

"We have both scrolls, if you're ready to leave we should get to the tower." Yuki stated.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"I can walk." He said and stood up, albeit  wobblily . Eon supported him, to his dismay, to help them get on their way faster. They sped towards the tower in the dawn, hoping that they wouldn't meet with any other super crazy missing  nin again. 

Arriving at the tower, they were stopped by two  chuunin guards as they got to the entrance.

"Scrolls please, and state your team." One of them said. Eon brought out two scrolls, holding them forward.

"Konoha, t eam five." She responded. The other  chuunin checked off something on a list, and pointed towards a door.

"Go in there." He stated. 

They scrambled over, feeling quite exhausted from the day in the forest, but  luckily, they didn't have to spend it there for five days like some other teams might have to.

There was nothing in the room other than a poster on the wall. 

"There are words missing, but the mentions of heaven and earth can't be a coincidence." Eon stated.

"Let's open the scrolls," she said and brought them out, giving one to Yuki.

They opened it  at the same time, and then smoke began pouring out of them.

"Yuki, Eon, throw them on the floor!"  Ryuusuke exclaimed. They did as  told , throwing the two scrolls on the floor and a  plume of smoke  poured out from then. And there stood... Iruka?

"Iruka-sensei?"  Ryuusuke asked. Iruka smiled brightly.

"You did well, you three.  Congrat ulations on passing the second task of the  chuunin exam." Iruka said.  Ryuusuke turned to his teammates and grinned.

"You will have to wait here in the tower until the exam is over, but there are rooms prepared for you and food will be served in the morning, noon and in the evening. There is a training hall on the third floor, but I would recommend you to rest before the three days are up to get your strength back." Iruka said. The team nodded.

"Your sensei... or  senseis in your case, will be notified of your arrival and will join you as soon as they can, some delay it until the final day. They're going to be here for the next part of the exam." Iruka stated. The team once again nodded, confirming that they had understood his message.

"Very well then, I'll let you rest... you look pretty beat." Iruka chuckled.

\---

The room they were given was nothing to brag about. It was two bunk beds on opposite sides of the room and a window.

"Only the necessities, huh?"  Ryuusuke chuckled as he sat down on one of the beds.  Eon and Yuki sat down on the opposite sides. Yuki was fidgeting, averting her eyes from  Ryuusuke and seemingly unimpressed by something. 

Eon, on the other hand, was staring at  Ryuusuke intensely . With once again the 'you should tell her' look that he had been given on several occasions. 

Falling into a somewhat awkward silence, the three teammates shuffling in the tight atmosphere of unanswered questions.

" Orochimaru bit you, what was that about?"  Ryuusuke asked hesitantly. Eon brought a hand up to her neck and rubbed.

"I'm not entirely sure, but looking at my... actions after regaining consciousness, it is easy to say that the effect it has on me isn't exactly profitable. I'm going to ask Kakashi-sensei or  Obito -sensei later,  prefera bly not in the middle of the exam." Eon stated.  Ryuusuke nodded. Eon then stared right into his eyes.

"Perhaps you would care to explain your actions?" She asked.  Ryuusuke turned away, ashamed. Yuki was looking at him curiously, but then her expression soured slightly. She stood up, walking towards the door.

"I'm going to have a look around." She stated stiffly and closed the door behind her.  Eon glared at  Ryuusuke as Yuki closed the door.

"You're hurting her." Eon stated harshly.  Ryuusuke didn't exactly expect the spite,  but considering what Eon had told about the strange mark affecting her, he wouldn't put it past her.

"What do you want me to do? She's terrified."  Ryuusuke said, his voice cracking. 

"She's only frightened because she doesn't understand!" Eon countered. 

" There are  plenty of people who understand who hate me! Why w ould she  be any different?"  Ryuusuk e protested.

"We're a team!" Eon said, her voice raising in volume ever so slightly.

" That doesn't me ** an that she will understand!"  ** Ryuusuke's voice was more of a roar at the end. His voice deepening. He glared at Eon  intense ly , feeling energy and anger bubbling inside him. Eon's eyes widened in fright.  Ryuusuke looked at his hand, which he had clenched tightly. It was bleeding, and his nails had sharpened into claws. Noticing his reflection in the window, he could see red, fierce eyes staring back at him. He swiftly turned towards Eon.

"I-I'm so sorry -" he was interrupted by Eon leaving the room.

\----

The remaining days left of the exam before the  time limit was up went by in a haze.  Ryuusuke had been off the grid, Eon and Yuki only seeing his back from the top bunk at night. Both Eon and Yuki slept on the bottom bunks, and they didn't exactly look up often. 

And before they knew it, they stood in front of the third  Hokage and the  jonin senseis , readying themselves for the next part of their exam. 

Ryuusuke was standing behind Yuki, who was behind Eon again. They were all standing in a line, the other teams as well were lined up next to them.

He could spot team 8 and 10 on the other side. Hinata, Kiba and Shino looked mostly fine, but they had seen better days by the looks of it. Although Akamaru was hiding in Kiba's hoodie, by the looks of it he was shivering. 

Shikamaru , Ino and  Choji looked shook as well, but they managed to contain themselves it seemed. On his other side, he could see  Gaara and his team. In addition, there was another team he hadn't exactly talked to, a  Hyuuga , some crazed bowl-cut with way to huge eyebrows and a seemingly normal female. 

"Welcome everyone," said the  hokage , silencing the hall. "Congratulations on passing the second exam." The  genin remained silent, however you could see that many of the rookies were smiling smugly.

"Before we continue onto the third part of the exam, I would like to tell you all something about the  chuunin exam. The  chuunin exam was created by the second  hokage to secure  relations between villages. Or so we say," The  hokage paused, letting the  genin ponder about his statement.

"The exam is in reality, a substitute for war." Silent gasps came from the young ninjas, some were protesting quietly or whispering amongst themselves.

"These first exams has made you show your skills as ninja, stealth, determination, survival... all these things  proves your ability to become a  chuunin . The third exam, will be battle." The Third said calmly. The old man had always had a certain softness to his voice, but in the  prescence of the foreign ninja and the tense setting of the entire situation,  Ryuusuke could see how the man's atmosphere had changed completely. It emitted strength.

"Why do  we have to risk our lives for something so trivial?!" Kiba shouted from the front. One of the  jonin looked shocked at the boy, seeing how he dared to speak to the  hokage the way he did, but the  hokage payed no mind.

"You are ninja, soldiers. The  chuunin exam is also a way to show strength, for the nations to show how much they have grown. The next generation. The third exam will take place in one month from now, but first..." A cough interrupted the  hokage .

"If you don't mind,  Hokage-sama , I would like to explain." A man said, coughing right after he had finished his sentence.

"Ah,  Hayate , pl ease do." The third said. 

"My name is Gekko  Hayate , I'm the third proctor for the  chuunin exam."  Hayate introduced himself. 

"Before moving on to the third exam in a month, we will hold  preliminary matches right here, right now."  Hayate said, coughing once again. 

"That's unfair! We haven't even gotten a chance to rest up!" Another  genin shouted,  Ryuusuke didn't know who.

"Some of you  had plenty of time to rest up, depending on how you spent your days in the forest."  Hayate stated calmly.

"The screen behind me will create random matches. Those of you who don't appear on this screen, please make your way to the viewing areas."  Hayate stated and turned around.

The screen flickered through many names before stopping abruptly.

"Nara  Shikamaru ,  Aburame Shino, please step into the battle area."  Hayate said. 

From what  Ryuusuke knew, neither Shino nor  Shikamaru were especially combat based ninja. They had the opportunity to, but both were very calm people. 

And their battle was very calm too.

Shino's  insects had proven to be quite an  adversary , but  Shikamaru's wits and intellect had no equal, perhaps with the exception of Eon. With clever placed traps and  efficient use of the two  genin's exhaustion, he secured himself a victory with a yawn. 

They made their way back up to their teams, not really saying much. The loudest one was Ino, who was congratulating  Shikamaru loudly.

And  so the names once again flickered, before coming to a halt at  Tenten and Temari.  Ryuusuke didn't know them, but he recognized Temari as  Gaara's teammate. Which made him shiver slightly. Looking over, he could see  Gaara standing by the wall on the other side, he wasn't saying anything, but his look was so... cold. His stomach dropped,  Gaara was like him in more ways that he would like to admit.

Was he like  Gaara ?

Tenten and Temari's match was kind of amusing, seeing how Temari completely dominated the field. Though he had to admit,  Tenten's amount of  weapon ry and skill of using them was impressive. Although not enough when she didn't know how to avoid  the wind user she was facing. The match was enlightening to say the least, he now knew what to not do when facing a wind user and what to do if he was facing a weapon mistress or master.

His heart jumped when his own name stopped at the screen. He was  makin his way down to the arena when the voice of his opponent rang across the hall.

"Proctor, I'd like to forfeit."  Kankuro said.

Ryuusuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't look tired or anything, he'd heard from  rumors that  Gaara , himself and Temari had gotten through the exam in a day. 

With a sigh, he went back to Kakashi's side. He'd been standing there duti fu lly next to his sensei, they hadn't shared a conversation.  Obito hadn't said anything either, and that was probably because of the tension. 

Eon and Yuki were standing by the railing, occasionally talking to  each other . They hadn't even looked at  Ryuusuke when  they'd met up for this meeting.  Obito was probably assessing the situation, but he could ponder long about that before he would get answers.

Ryuusuke didn't really want to talk right now, because obviously he had gone way past the line.  Lo sing some of his control in front of Eon had been the last drop. His two teammates had understood what was actually underneath him. He clung to the hope that he just needed to give them time, but a part of him knew. He knew they probably would never forgive him, especially now that he was  lo sing his mind so easily during battle.

The next match was proven to be Kiba... against Eon.  Ryuusuke chuckled. Kiba didn't stand a chance.

Eon had defeated him in five minutes flat. 

He had proven to be difficult to catch due to having his puppy cooperating with him, and  Inuzuka's natural agility and  en hanced senses, but Kiba had no brains. Eon didn't even use traps, she just predicted or lead Kiba to where she wanted him to be with  kunais and  shurikens or fire  jutsu . 

Yuki was glowing when Eon came back, saying a happy "good job!" When the Nara  rejoined them.  Ryuusuke was about to say something, but the moment their eyes met he was greeted with the cold and analytic stare Eon had given her enemies before. Which she now was giving him.

His arm, which was on the way of greeting her with a wave, fell from its current height and back to his side. He turned his head to the other side, leaning further back against the wall.

Hinata and  Neji's match had been difficult to watch. 

Hinata was fighting with all she could, but by the looks of it...  Neji was by far much stronger. He fought with her like she was his worst enemy, like she had personally murdered everyone he knew. He was so violent  Ryuusuke almost wanted to stop him.

Hinata was on the ground, bruised and battered, yet he didn't stop  goading her. He threw insults and belittling words as much as he could, how she was such a disappointment, a weakling. Not even the  encouragement from her team was enough to make her stand up.

When  Hayate called the match before  Neji dealt the final blow, the entire hall was silent. 

Hinata was quickly rushed to the medical area in the tower, probably prepared for situations like this.  Ryuusuke could see how pale Yuki had gotten, before remembering how close she and Hinata had been during the academy. A part of him urged him to try and give some sort of comfort, but he knew that he'd probably make it worse.

Next up was Yuki against Ino, which went as well as one would've guessed. Ino was by far not impressive when it came to battling, sure she surprised  Ryuusuke slightly, with her mastery of her clan  jutsu . Although it wasn't much more than that. Even Sakura would've beaten her... even before she started training with team 5. 

All in all, the matches were pretty uneventful, with the exception of Hinata and  Neji's , which were downright heart-wrenching. And to top that,  Gaara and Lee's match came.

When  Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand in the area, meeting Lee's  enthus iastic smile,  Ryuusuke wanted to urge Kakashi to stop the match before it began. The look in  Gaara's eyes were terrifying. They looked so dead, yet so bloodthirsty. 

And  so, their match started.

Ryuusuke had never seen such speed in a  genin , the strength behind the green-clad boy was amazing. And for a  moment ,  Ryuusuke actually thought he would win. Then, releasing some incredibly heavy weights, Lee upped the game.

He thought he could outrun the sand, until he couldn't.

Swirling around his arm and leg, sand enveloped the left side of his body before  tightning together in a sickening crunch.  Ryuusuke stared at  Gaara in horror as he saw the wicked smile spreading across the red-heads face as blood stained the sand around Lee. Yuki was hiding her face in Eon's  hoodie, with Obito holding a comforting hand to both the girls' shoulders.

Ryuusuke could feel Kakashi's gaze on him. When Kakashi  touched his shoulder carefully,  Ryuusuke shrugged it off quickly. 

Lee was torn free from the sand by Gai,  Gaara receding hesitantly at Gai's display of affection for his student. The motion, the expression  Gaara showed for a slight moment, was enough to peek  Ryuusuke's interest.

He wanted to know, how alike were he and  Gaara ? What did one have which the other lacked? 

"The preliminary matches are over, could the winning  genin please come down here,"  Hayate said with a cough. He also, looked visibly shook from  Gaara's action. The winning  genin , being  Ryuusuke , Eon, Yuki, Temari,  Gaara ,  Neji and  Shikamaru , gathered on a line in front of  Hayate .

"In this box there are several pieces of paper, please draw one."  Hayate said and passed the box around. 

"Could you please read your numbers out loud, in rising order."  Hayate continued absentmindedly, coughing all the while.

"One," said  Shikamaru with a sigh.

"Two, " Temari called out.

"Three,"  Neji stated calmly.

"Four,"  Ryuusuke mumbled.

"Five," Yuki said softly.

"Six."  Gaara stated.

"Seven." Eon said.

"In one month, a tournament will be held in Konoha as the third exam. Several people will be watching, including the  Kazekage and feudal lords. The matches will be as follows,"  Hayate started.

" Shikamaru , facing Temari."

" Neji , facing  Ryuusuke ."

"Yuki, facing  Gaara ,"

"Eon, facing the winner of the match between Temari and  Shikamaru ." 

Ryuusuke's head whipped towards Yuki, who looked like she'd seen a ghost. As much as Ryuusuke had fai th i n Yuki's abilities, he knew for a fact that she couldn't defeat Gaara. He wasn't even sure if he could. He knew Yuki wasn't that keen on hurting people,  Gaara did that as a sport by the looks of it. He turned to Eon, who was rubbing her hand over her neck, deep in thought. She raised her hand.

"Proctor, I'd like to withdraw." She stated.  Hayate looked surprised, he gave her a questioning gaze.

"Personal reasons," Eon stated, leaving no room for further questioning.  Ryuusuke could tell it had something to do with that mark  Orochimaru gave her though, not that she had indulged any further with him.

"I see,"  Hayate stated. "Anyway, I'll see you again in a month. The time and exact location for where you'll meet up will be given to your  jonin sensei in a later briefing. Please follow your  jonin sensei safely out of the forest, do not wander off, we don't want any more  caus alities ."  Hayate said and clapped his hands.

Obito took Eon and Yuki home, being better to confidently reassure them from what they'd just seen.  Ryuusuke had a feeling that Kakashi was following him on purpose.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked calmly as they walked down the streets.  Ryuusuke looked away.

"Nothing." He stated. Kakashi sighed.

"You haven't said a single word to your teammates since me and  Obito at the tower, Eon indulged when we arrived about  Orochimaru , leaving out quite a lot of details. Do you want to fill me in?" Kakashi asked.

"Sensei,"  Ryuusuke started.

"Leave me alone," 


	8. The end of....

Yuki had not seen Ryuusuke for a week, which wasn't exactly bothering her as much as she would've thought. She was usually at Eon's discussing several things from daily activities to how their training was coming along. 

Yuki herself was training with her mother mostly for the coming month, although she felt scared at the thought of battling Gaara, she was determined to succeed. Or at least try to. 

She'd also been training with Kakashi, building up her speed as much as she could in as little time possible. It was difficult, and she'd been training more and more during the day, only having the minimum number of breaks for necessary human needs. 

She had been looking around for Ryuusuke unconsciously though. Sure, she was angry at him for not telling her any of this things about him, but she was hoping that he would come around and tell her eventually. By the looks of it, he was avoiding everyone. 

She'd tried to talk to Eon about it, but Eon herself was also hesitant, nor did she exactly seem to want to talk about their blond teammate. She had curtly explained that she and Ryuusuke had had a disagreement after Yuki left the dorm in the forest, and hadn't spoken since. 

Obito had been training with Eon most of the time, not for the exam, but rather to control what they had figured out was a curse mark. The seal Orochimaru had left on Eon's shoulder. 

Speaking of, during one of their more rigorous training sequences, the team had made quite the discovery. 

Eon and Yuki had been playing Aim and Dodge, a game set up by Kakashi to work on the genins' accuracy and mobility. It was basically one of them throwing blunt kunai and shuriken at the other, while the other was going to dodge as many as possible. If they were hit, they had to switch roles. 

Well, Eon had been very difficult to hit. 

The more speed Yuki applied to her throws, the faster Eon moved. And in a moment, red flickered across Eon's eyes. It stopped Yuki dead in her tracks, her mind fast tracking back to Ryuusuke's... episode in the battle against Orochimaru. 

With Eon standing still, Yuki, Obito and Kakashi could clearly see what the red was. 

"The sharingan?" Obito asked incredulously. 

"How?" Kakashi asked to no one specifically. 

"What are you talking about?" Eon asked, a little nervous. 

"We need to ask the Third about this..." Obito groaned. Kakashi turned to Yuki. 

"Go home to your mother and train with her until we come back, we're not entirely sure how long it will take. Don't push yourself too hard and stick to the routine." Kakashi said. Yuki nodded before leaving. 

"Eon, do you have any relatives that's an Uchiha?" Obito asked. 

"No, why?" Eon asked, slightly exasperated that they wouldn't tell her what it was about. 

"Your eyes." Kakashi stated. 

"You've awakened the sharingan." He said. Eon's eyes widened. 

"That's not possible," she stated. Obito shrugged, chuckling slightly. 

"We didn't think that either, but here we are." He said. 

"We're going to talk to the third about it, according to Uchiha law, any with the sharingan is an Uchiha due to the clan's wish to keep the bloodline in the family, but you already belong to a clan and well yeah, there are a lot of politics following this." Obito said, ending his sentence with a sigh. 

"What a drag," Eon mumbled. 

\-- 

The talk with third had gone smoothly, he had deemed they should have a smaller meeting later, with Shikaku and Obito present, to see how exactly Eon's place in the two clans would be. In addition, they would look around more closely at Eon's lineage, to see if there was any connection to the Uchiha they might've missed. Other than that, Eon was told to properly train along with Obito to learn how to use the eye wisely, seeing how it can be quite draining on someone who isn't an Uchiha. 

Kakashi asked the Third if he could stay for a little longer, to discuss a serious matter. Eon were sent out of the room before she got to understand what it was about, but she had a notion that she knew the topic's main problem. 

She checked Ryuusuke's apartment on her way home, out of curiosity rather than worry. She found it absent, and while that would've bothered her, she figured that the male would rather be somewhere where he couldn't be found. Not that it bothered her, she still couldn't shake the feeling that Ryuusuke was getting... worse. 

She knew that he'd lost control during the wave mission, but it had been small, but afterwards, it had happened more frequently. And while it didn't bother her then, nor when she heard he used it when fighting against Orochimaru, or the mood he'd been in the earlier exam, what bothered her was how he had lost control so easily in the dorm. 

She'd looked closer into jinchuuriki's afterwards. It wasn't uncommon for one to lose control every now and then, and usually when it happened there was a malfunction with the seal. Although Ryuusuke hadn't been so violent in the beginning, so the sudden change had to be recent. She figured it could've been stress, from fighting Orochimaru and scaring the shit out of Yuki, but gaining that sort of transformation in such a short while after having used so much energy earlier... it just seemed unnatural. Even for a jinchuuriki. 

Eon didn't know much about seals, but she was sure that something had happened when Ryuusuke had been unconscious, and she wasn't sure if she liked it. 

The next day, when meeting up with Obito and Kakashi, she decided to voice her concerns to her senseis while Yuki was training. She hadn't exactly told them that she thought his seal was damaged, for some reason, that just seemed rude. Instead, she asked them if they'd seen Ryuusuke around. Kakashi had told her that Ryuusuke had gone of training somewhere in the outskirts of Konoha's many training grounds. Ryuusuke had said specifically, that he didn't want to be bothered. 

It wasn't exactly comforting. 

Yuki told her later that Ryuusuke would most likely need some time, but it sounded like more of inner hope rather than a realistic thought. 

Even so, with additional training on activating the sharingan at will, and training her body to new limits to actually be able to follow what she was seeing, Eon found less and less time to look for her blond teammate to check if he was actually okay. Sure, she was scared in a moment back at the tower in the forest of death, and been slightly angry at him for not saying anything later or try to explain himself, but she was worried. And she got more and more angry at him for avoiding them and the explanation he owed Yuki. 

Sakura had also come by every now and then, she was working almost the entire day on her medical jutsu and had been progressing by leaps and bounds in her teacher's eyes, although she admitted that her teacher was skilled, but was by far not an expert. 

Hours of training became days and days became weeks. When Yuki had asked her for an overnight stay, quite suddenly, Eon wasn't sure what to think, but as she moved onto the porch of Yuki's house, she couldn't help but to feel nervous. 

Knocking carefully at the door, she was quickly met with the warmth of the Uzumaki household. 

"Eon, welcome back!" Hamako smiled softly as Eon entered the hallway. 

"Yuki is in her room, you're free to go inside." She said before heading over to the living room, sitting down with a book she was reading. 

Heading over to Yuki's room, Eon couldn't help but to notice the difference of when she was here the first time, feeling very out of place and strange, compared to now when she could basically just walk into the house without anyone minding. 

"Yuki?" Eon asked as she opened the door. The pink-haired teammate of hers was sitting on her bed, looking out the window to her left. 

"Eon, you're here." She said with a sweet smile and turned towards Eon. 

"How are you doing?" Eon asked, something felt off. Yuki looked to the ground, her eyes averting Eon ever so slightly. 

"...I'm nervous, to be honest." She replied with a sigh. Eon went over the room, dumping her backpack along the way before sitting down next to her. 

"I'm fighting Gaara, and you saw what he did to Lee back then," she explained, her voice quivering slightly. Eon nodded in agreement. 

"I don't think I would've fought him even if I had the chance to," Eon said. Yuki chuckled slightly. 

"You're sounding like your cousin," she whispered. Eon smiled at that, brushing her hair out of her face. 

"I'm not going to forfeit the match." Yuki said. Eon whipped her head around. 

"Are you insane?" She asked incredously. Yuki nodded. 

"I want to see what I can do- I want to prove my worth!" Yuki replied determinedly. 

"What if you get hurt? What if you -" Eon stopped mid-sentence. 

"I won't." Yuki said. 

"Yuki -" Yuki interrupted Eon. 

"I have trained a lot this past month, I'm going to do my best, I won't give up!" Yuki said, she looked at Eon, tears running down her eyes. 

"I'll be in the audience, if anything happens -" Eon was shut down once again by Yuki throwing her arms around her, hugging her tightly. 

"Thank you," 

\--- 

They headed to the arena at the assigned time the next morning. Yuki was to meet up with the other contestants in another part of the arena, while Eon would have to go to the audience area. They reluctantly parted. Eon wished Yuki a quick good luck, squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. 

"You can do this." She stated seriously. Yuki nodded affirmatively. 

Yuki headed towards their meeting spot, and couldn't help but to feel a pang of relief as she saw Ryuusuke in the crowd. She moved towards him, wanting to talk with him regardless of the betrayal she had felt the last month. Ryuusuke turned around as she came towards him, their eyes meeting each other. There were several things she could notice that had changed. 

The first thing was that his hair had grown longer, not much of course, but it was noticable. And he looked very... exhausted. There were dark bags under his eyes, he looked like he hadn't eaten for days and seemed to waver slightly in the breeze. When their eyes met, he looked surprised in a second, before looking shamefully to the ground. 

She knew from what Eon had told her that Ryuusuke's... issue, was something very personal to him. She'd mentioned that he had had bad experiences with people knowing, so she did understand somewhat why he was reluctant to tell her. However, she thought they'd moved on from being just classmates or total strangers, but rather friends and teammates. A team is like a family, her mother had told her. Why was Ryuusuke so reluctant to let her in? 

She suddenly felt a pang of guilt run through her. She remembered the looks Ryuusuke was given when they were out in town, or how the teachers had treated him during the academy. Even Iruka had been reluctant to meet him in the eye. Were they afraid of him too? 

She shook her head, heading over to him regardless. She stood next to him, not saying anything, nor looking directly at him. 

The chuunin proctor, Hayate, wasn't showing up apparently. Another one called Genma had become the third proctor instead. He didn't reply when a genin asked what happened to Hayate. 

Ryuusuke stopped Yuki from walking away by grabbing her wrist suddenly. She turned towards him and saw that he looking directly past her, towards Gaara. 

"You shouldn't fight him, but Kakashi-sensei told me you would anyway. Good luck." He said quietly and walked towards the arena, leaving Yuki momentarily dumbstruck before she got a move on. 

Lining up in the centre of the arena, the crowds roaring around them, Yuki's nervousness seemed to double, but so did her motivation. Ryuusuke was standing next to her, which was kind of comforting. She scanned the audience for Eon, which had proven to be very difficult. The audience area was teeming, and honestly it was a bit confusing. 

Although, the way to loud scream of her mother directed her towards her location, where Eon was standing next to her, offering her silent motivation. She saw Kakashi-sensei and Obito-sensei along with them too, and the rest of her classmates was in the same Area, even Sakura was standing along with her former teammates. Hinata was in the crowd too, although she was still managed by a doctor considering the damage she had received a month ago. 

The crowd quieted as the Third stood up from his chair on a centred platform which the chuunin hopefuls were facing. 

"Welcome everyone, to the Chuunin exam final." The old kage said, his voice being amplified by... well something, so everyone could hear his voice loud and clear across the stadium. 

"We're going to start right away, could the contestants please make their way to the competitor's area. Nara Shikamaru, Sabaku no Temari, please remain." Hiruzen said. 

Shikamaru and Temari were facing each other, a good ten metres between them. Genma was holding up his hand, keeping the tension between the fighters and the crowd for longer than most would've liked. Then, letting his hand drop with a short; 

"Start!" 

Temari wasted no time retrieving her battle fan from her back, Shikamaru preparing himself for an attack which definitely came. Evading Temari's continued attacks was difficult, but Shikamaru was Shikamaru. Yuki could see him placing several traps along the way, a skill she had learned from fighting against and with Eon. 

Temari was unusually battle oriented, but from what rumours she had heard, Temari was a couple of years older than the Konoha rookies. It would explain her longer time in the field, meaning longer time to adapt to battling in general, especially against a variety of opponents. 

Yuki looked around the terrain carefully. The arena was simply a large, flat area with a couple of trees around the edges. Her eyes wandered over to her opponent. Gaara. 

The boy looked a little younger than the rest of them, his team was apparently made up of his siblings and himself, which would explain the differences they had in age. 

Before she knew it, the match between Shikamaru and Temari had ended.... with Shikamaru giving up. She could almost feel Eon's groan, despite not being remotely close to her. 

Ryuusuke was up next. He was fighting Hinata's cousin, Neji. Yuki couldn't help but to feel angry at the Hyuuga. He hated Hinata because of something that her father did, judging her for everything she did and belittling her at every chance he got. Now, he had nearly killed her in a fight, even though she was in no shape of continuing when he tried to finish his bombardment of attacks. 

Ryuusuke didn't look any happier about it than Yuki was. 

They were also standing a few feet apart, trying to see if they could gain some information with only looking at each other. 

Genma was holding up his hand again, making sure than neither of the combatants moved. Then, letting it drop quickly, announcing the beginning of the battle. 

Neji rushed straight at Ryuusuke, not caring about watching the other's movements or anything. Yuki could almost feel herself smile, Neji obviously underestimated Ryuusuke, seeing how he was a rookie. 

A palm strike aimed at his chest, easily deflected. Ryuusuke simply took a step to the side, using his hand to shove Neji's palm to the side. He kicked Neji's back as the genin came soaring next to him due to the loss of balance. Sure, the Hyuuga was fast and his strikes were strong. His kick merely pushed him a little before the Hyuuga spun, sliding his foot underneath Ryuusuke, making him jump into the air to dodge. This gave Neji the opportunity to aim strikes at his would-be location, had Ryuusuke not created a shadow clone to throw him away, dodging Neji completely. 

Landing a distance away, Ryuusuke readied himself for another attack, but it didn't come. Neji was obviously trying to be more careful this time around, probably caught off guard at Ryuusuke's skill. One didn't get trained by two of Konoha's greatest jonins, just to be hit during the first five minutes of a match. Yuki got slightly excited, of course, rooting for her teammate. Rooting for her friend. 

Before she was shaken back to reality. 

Ryuusuke was not preparing himself for an attack, but rather building up one of his own. 

Red, slit eyes, opening up to stare at the Hyuuga straight on. Neji halted, confusion spread across his face. Yuki couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was obvious that Ryuusuke wasn't answering half of Neji's question, rather beating sense into him. 

She couldn't help but to feel the fear she had felt back in the forest. Why was he like that now? The red-eyes stare, slit eyes, sharpened nails – being more like claws, his teeth had shifted into fangs, the birth marks on his cheeks intensifying. There was no reason for him to become like that now – or maybe it was starting to become him in general. 

A red hue was gathering around Ryuusuke, and then he disappeared. 

Before reappearing right infront of Neji, sending his fist straight down at the Hyuuga. Neji didn't have the skill to react, and was forcefully thrown into the ground. The Hyuuga wasn't entire out however, rolling away from Ryuusuke quickly, he got back on his legs. 

Ryuusuke payed no mind, however. Using the same speed again, red disappearing in a flash before appearing behind Neji, sliding his legs under the Hyuuga. He grabbed Tsumibito from its sheath, which was securely strapped to his back. He shoved the sword into the ground, right next to Neji's head. Neji himself was held down by Ryuusuke's hand, and while he was obviously struggling before, he found himself frozen. Ryuusuke moved his hand from the sword to hold a fist over Neji's face. 

"Yield." Ryuusuke's voice rang out through the silenced arena. 

Neji didn't say anything. It was like the two had a muted conversation, before Ryuusuke reached for his pouch, withdrawing a kunai. He slammed the handle into Neji's head, knocking him out. 

Ryuusuke turned towards the audience, his eyes back into the normal blue. Yuki shook her head in disbelief. 

Had he just controlled it? 

The silence was interrupted by one man from the audience, standing up in the audience the man let out a sharp; 

"Monster!" 

Ryuusuke looked to the ground in shame, before heading back to the competitor's box, not meeting any eyes. Yuki was about to go over to him, when Genma called out her name. Followed by Gaara's. A shiver ran down her spine, she could feel her stomach dropping. 

She turned towards the arena, hesitant for a second. She looked back at Ryuusuke, who was now staring straight at her, begging her silently one last time to withdraw. She gave him a wide grin before heading out. 

Gaara's face didn't betray any emotions. His stoic look made Yuki uneasy. She took a deep breath as she tried to focus. All she had to do was knock him out or make him surrender, the former being more likely than the latter. He couldn’t be invincible, there had to be some way to take him out. His sand wasn't very fast, although Lee didn't manage to avoid it completely. Her only choice was to finish him quickly. 

Genma's hand dropped, signalling the start of the fight. 

Gaara lifted his hands, sand flowing from his gourd and made its way towards Yuki. She jumped away, creating a longer distance between the two. She started running around, trying to gain a better look at the arena. The trees could serve as great ways to place traps and blind spots. 

Gaara's sand was right on her feet the entire time, which wasn't exactly building up her confidence. Stopping, turning around swiftly and her hands flowing through hand signs in ease, she created a large wave of water which sped towards Gaara's sand. 

When the water hit the sand, it was obvious that the sand lost considerate amounts of speed. Yuki grinned. At least she had one advantage. 

"Mother wants your blood," Gaara's voice rang out. Yuki looked towards him, confused. Did he just say that his... mother? His mother wanted her blood? She shook herself out of her stupor. Speeding towards a tree, she planted several explosive tags before heading towards the next. Creating a water clone, a handy trick Kakashi had taught her, she got it to cover and confuse Gaara. 

She created another ten normal clones, they weren't combat clones, but they worked wonders to distract opponents. However, it didn't take long before Gaara managed to destroy them. Though it did give Yuki time to set up the rest of her plan. After reviewing what she remembered of Gaara and Lee's match, noticing how Gaara had some sort of shield which kept him from being harmed, she figured that the shield needed to be destroyed. In a large scale. 

She sped to the centre of the arena, Gaara's sand following closely as he noticed her. She used more of her water styled techniques to slow the sand down, and as she moved further and further away, Gaara actually had to follow slightly to have the amount of reach he needed. Yuki stopped as she arrived at the edge of the arena, Gaara standing in the centre of her field. She gave a small grin. Lifting her hand up into a simple hand sign, she uttered a quiet; 

"Boom." 

The arena went up in flames, a quick paper thrown on the ground went unnoticed by most of the audience, the explosion of several explosion tags bellowing its power throughout the arena. A large cloud of dust hid the competitors away from the spectators. After a while, the smoke cleared. 

Yuki was standing, breathing heavily, behind a circular barrier which went around her completely, shielding her from the blast. It was obvious that it took a toll on her, and as soon as the arena was in plain sight, she dropped the barrier. 

Gaara was standing still, his hands shaking in front of him as sand was falling away in broken pieces. By the looks of it, his shield had been of hardened sand the entire time. The right side of his cheek was cracked, hit by debris from the blasts. His eyes snapped towards Yuki, eyes crazed and his smile wicked. 

"You're a worthy match for mother!" He exclaimed with a laugh. He sped ahead, Yuki didn't get caught off guard however, she bent her knees slightly, readying herself. Feeling her chakra bubbling inside her, she let out a roar of will. 

Golden chains sprouted out of her back at an incredibly high speed, shooting off in different directions. The chains stopped mid-air, before all of them sped towards Gaara like thunder. The chains stopped him as he was not more than a couple metres away from her, his crazed expression giving her that small, tiny feeling of doubt and fear she'd felt earlier. 

He struggled against her chains, and she struggled to hold them up. She gritted her teeth in annoyance, before she gave out another cry. The chains expanded in size, and shoved Gaara backwards at break-neck speed. He was slammed into the wall of the arena on the other side, and Yuki's chain receded back, before disappearing in several golden pieces. 

She dropped to her knee as her breathing became more rigid, she could feel her strength being depleted as she kept herself from passing out from the loss of chakra. Genma, the proctor, was standing outside the competitors' box, obviously ready to step in at a moment's notice. 

Yuki tried to stand up, but a spike of pain brought her back to her kneeling position. She looked towards Genma, offering a quiet; 

"I yiel-" before the crowd's exclamation of danger shook her out of her sentence. Gaara, obviously even more mad about being slammed into a wall, was coming at her faster than he had ever moved here in Konoha, sand flying wildly around him. 

"Your blood!" He screamed, "mother wants your blood!" She fell back, dread settling inside her as sand came crashing down above her, and then, everything turned black. 

\--- 

When Yuki woke up, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She found herself in a medical ward, probably in the arena somewhere considering the noise outside. Turning to the side, she saw Eon sitting at a chair by a nearby window, fidgeting with the hem of her hoodie. 

“What happened?” Yuki asked softly. Eon almost jumped in the chair, whipping her head around to face Yuki. 

“You’re up.” She stated hastily, walking over to Yuki’s bedside quickly. Yuki groaned, feeling the exhaustion from her fight with Gaara weighting down her body. 

“The tournament is still going on, although there is currently a small break due to the damage on the arena and possibility for the audience to place their bets and get food and stuff.” Eon explained. 

“Ryuusuke is fighting Gaara later, Temari – Gaara’s sister, forfeited the match the moment her name was called. Then they called the break, since it’s just the final match left.” Eon continued. Yuki’s eyes widened. 

“He’s still fighting Gaara? After what we’ve seen of him?!” Yuki asked incrediously. Eon looked to the floor. 

“You don’t remember anything, do you?” Eon asked. Yuki looked at her, confused. 

“When Gaara’s sand came crashing down on you, I couldn’t – we couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. I sped down from the audience to get to you and stop Gaara’s sand with my shadow jutsu, I’ve evolved it during the month you see, so that I can hold things with it and shield myself. However, Gaara was still charging at us, crazed eyes and all.” Eon took a deep breath. 

“Ryuusuke stopped him. He had sped into the arena almost the same time as I had, but he just held Gaara down. Something made Gaara hesitate, I’m pretty sure it… it has something to do with Ryuusuke’s issue. Gaara was shaken out of his rage, and it was replaced by fear in just a second before he went back to his place.” Eon explained. 

The medical ward’s door was opened hurriedly, Ryuusuke standing in the doorway. He hurried over to Yuki and Eon, worry clear in his eyes before he saw their surprise in their eyes. He hesitated before taking a step back. 

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He said quietly. Yuki smiled slightly, before her face turned into a frown. 

“You shouldn’t fight him.” She stated. Ryuusuke looked her in the eye. 

“I have to,” He replied. 

“We both know you neither of you will forfeit, you might die! Gaara’s not – he’s not normal!” Yuki tried to persuade him. 

“Gaara and I are the same,” Ryuusuke stated. “At least in some ways,” 

“What are you talking about?” Yuki asked. 

“Gaara is… what I could’ve been. I can’t forgive him for what he’s done to Lee, or to you. But I’m the only one who stands a chance against him. He’s... no match for me.” Ryuusuke stated. 

“Ryuusuke, you’re speaking nonsense.” Eon stated. 

“I need to get ready for my match,” Ryuusuke said and turned around, heading towards the door. 

“Ryuusuke – he’s like a monster, this is insane! Let’s forget the chuunin exam this time, we can take it next year!” Yuki tried to convince him, however both she and Eon could see he wasn’t turning back. 

“My entire identity is at stake, and on the other side…” Ryuusuke said, his eyes flashing with red as he turned to them. 

“It takes a monster to fight a monster,” 

\----- 

Ryuusuke stepped out of the arena, his name still ringing with echo in his ears, although it had already been deafened by the cheers of Hamako, his team and some of his classmates from the academy. He took a deep breath as he stared down Gaara, the two of them having a silent conversation with their eyes. One of them was going down, and he were going to go down hard. 

Hayate called the match, having kept Ryuusuke under a sceptical eye, hoping that the blond would surrender before the match started. 

Ryuusuke sped forward, ignoring the sand as it brushed around him at similar speeds, drawing onto the kyuubi chakra, he could feel his strength, speed, instinct and other senses increase. 

He slammed his hand into Gaara's face, surprising the other jinchuuriki at his sudden burst of speed. However, ryuusuke noticed how unfazed he was by the attack as well. Ryuusuke could feel sand enveloping his leg, climbing up the longer he lingered. A gasp was heard from the audience, and he knew that he had to move. Using another burst of chakra, he pushed the sand away from him before speeding away, gaining distance between the two. 

Gaara's sand was relentless, always following, always moving. Ryuusuke needed to move at all times, irregular patterns, jump, slide, whatever he needed to have enough distance to see how much Gaara actually could do. 

He frowned, Gaara had presumably never been hurt before from the intel that he gathered, yet there was a crack on his face when he had stopped him from charging at Yuki. 

Armor? At least of some kind. 

He sped forward again, if there was any armour, he would have to test its limits. Gaara's sand made everything difficult, creating two shadow clones to help distract Gaara's sand, he quickly channelled chakra to his legs to boost his speed even further, shooting forward with fist ready. Drawing on the Kyuubi chakra even more, intending on channelling it to his fist to boost the strike, he could feel the Kyuubi's seeping hatred flow into his system. He growled slightly, he was nearing his limit. 

Gaara's sand had gathered around him, trying to defend him against Ryuusuke's oncoming attack. However, Ryuusuke had other plans. 

Creating hand seals with his other hand, he shot several water bullets out of his mouth. The sand in front of him softened, and with a roar red chakra exploded out of him, shrouding him in a red bubbling cloak. His fist crashed into Gaara's sand, making contact with what Ryuusuke assumed was his face. 

Gaara didn't budge. 

The sand he had punched through tightly enveloped his arm. It felt like it was about to snap under the pressure. More sand was gathering around him, he had to get loose. Reaching for his sword, knowing that the only way to get out of it, was to get rid of the thing that held the two together. 

He held his sword above his arm, ready to strike. However, his breath got caught in his throat. Would he? Could he do this? He frowned. Creating around a dozen shadow clones, he could feel the use of the kyuubi chakra increase, the shroud around his seemed like it was heating up. The clones all charged at Gaara, their red cloaked fists slamming into the cocoon Gaara had hidden himself in, blowing it apart in a barrage of strikes. 

Ryuusuke ripped his arm out of the sand, feeling his skin being scratch up by the sand and his shoulder probably was dislocated. He tightend his hold around the sword before creating another set of hand signs. 

" **Wind Style; Great breakthro** **ugh** **!** " He roared out, a wall of howling wind crashed into Gaara head on, sand flying away from him in all directions and the Suna-nin himself spiralling across the arena before crashing into the ground, rolling further away before he got himself back on his legs. 

His face was definitely cracked. His eyes screamed danger as he stared at Ryuusuke maniacally. 

"You're definitely worthy of my attention, Nine." Gaara said, his voice deranged and cracking. 

Ryuusuke fell to a knee, the toll of using so much of the kyuubi chakra drawing on him. Gaara chuckled loudly from the other side. 

"Are you tired, Nine?" He asked. Ryuusuke growled. 

"Don't call me that." He rasped out. 

"But that's what you are, _brother_." Gaara replied. 

"I am not the beast!" Ryuusuke retorted angrily. He got to his legs, once gain drawing on the demonic chakra within him, shooting forward at record speed. Gaara charged at him as well, however there was something odd about his behaviour. Gone was the cool exterior he had had before, replaced with something... different. 

They met halfway, Gaara's sand rocketed around Ryuusuke, but Ryuusuke payed no mind as he got barraged with several strikes from different sides. He focused only on Gaara, before noticing the red kanji on his forehead. 

Love. 

It read love. 

Why would someone as cold as Gaara, tattoo love to their forehead? He narrowed his eyes. He knew that he himself was not the beast. He was sure of it, he knew that the border between him and the kyuubi was getting more and more unclear, however he wasn't the beast. 

He dodged another burst of sand, throwing himself towards Gaara, barrelling into him and throwing both of them on the ground. Gaara's sand enveloped his arms, trying to pull him away from Gaara, but Ryuusuke channelled chakra to his feet, sticking to the ground with all his might. 

"Gaara." He growled out. 

"You're not a monster," 

Gaara's sand stilled slightly, however his arms were still being pulled at. It was painful, for sure, though he held on. 

"It's painful isn't it?" Ryuusuke continued, his voice cracking halfway. 

"The shunning, the looks, the _fear_." He croaked out. Gaara's eyes look bewildered. 

"Get off me," Gaara said. Ryuusuke shook his head in defiance. 

"No. You need to understand! Shukaku and you are not the same! Just like me and Kyuubi not being the same! You're no monster – you're definitely not a weapon like some may say!" Ryuusuke exclaimed. 

"You hurt my friend. You hurt Lee badly, I don't know how many people you've killed but I can bet its many. I hated you. I wanted to hate you. I wanted to hurt you so badly during this match." Ryuusuke took a deep breath. 

"I was ready to kill you," 

Gaara's expression hardened. 

"Mother says you still will, you're no different than from the rest!" He screamed. Ryuusuke's arm got pulled backwards painfully, he screamed out in agony as the skin on his arms got stretched far beyond what they should. 

"Shukaku is not your fucking mother!" Ryuusuke's scream turned into a roar. 

"The other people here might not understand – the people in your village might not understand! No one might understand – except _us!"_ Ryuusuke claimed. The sand around his arms tightened again. He grunted out in pain once again, but turned to stare down at Gaara, no kyuubi chakra to change his eye colour, just him. 

"Gaara," He said, letting the silence between them linger. 

"You're not alone," He said, his words ranging through the arena, his voice hard – yet soft at the same time. 

White feathers started to fall slowly from the sky. Ryuusuke looked up in wonder before turning down to Gaara. Shock ran through him quickly, before his gaze softened. Gaara was staring up at him, teal eyes glinting with tears as the boy cried silently. 

When several civilians and ninja alike started dropping in the spectator area, Ryuusuke knew something was wrong. 

"Something is happening," Ryuusuke stated. Gaara looked around before feeling himself tense. 

"Oto and Suna are invading." Gaara said, he looked away from Ryuusuke. Ryuusuke's look hardened. 

"Gaara, I know you might be loyal to Suna, but right now as I've seen it – they don't treat you like they should. These civilians have done nothing wrong. The ones in the arena will probably not be in danger, but those outside don't know anything. Please help them evacuate." Ryuusuke said. Gaara pondered about a moment, before nodding. 

"As it stands..." He said quietly. "I'm loyal to you." 

\-- 

Ryuusuke quickly noticed the sand and sound ninja attacking the Konoha ones. Eon and Yuki, along with Hamako, Obito, Sakura and Kakashi were already up and awakening the other ninja, preparing themselves for battle. Ryuusuke rushed up towards his team. 

"Kakashi-sensei, your orders." Ryuusuke asked quickly as he arrived. Kakashi looked him up and down. 

"Take out as many ninjas as you can, I know you know your limits, don't push them. Eon, Yuki, help awake the others before joining in the evacuation of civilians. Yuki, you're in no condition to fight outlasting and Eon, you're one of the brightest mind in the entire village, if anyone can get a good plan out of a chaotic situation, it's you. Sakura, you're the only medic genin, please help Yuki and Eon with the wounded civilians. Obito, we need to get to the Hokage." Kakashi ordered. The four genin nodded before dispersing. 

\------ 

There wasn't exactly anything exciting going on during the battles, it was honestly just a chaotic mess. Ryuusuke was going on instinct alone, slicing through his opponents like they were butter before moving onto the next. Looking up towards where the hokage had been sitting, along with the kazekage who had come to 'watch the final', more like invade the village, he could see a square, deep purple barrier surrounding the area. 

Many ANBU and other ninja were trying hard to get in, but to no avail. Further away, Ryuusuke could see a very large toad battling a huge snake. 

He sighed in exasperation as another sound nin attacked him, it wasn't exactly challenging. He was wondering exactly how long they had been trained, since it didn't seem like they actually had any experience. 

He could feel his exhaustion building up on him, but he pushed forward. He could see that a large tree had sprouted inside the barrier. Wood release? That hadn't been seen since the first hokage. 

He shook himself out of his wondering, because another barrage of sound and sand ninja were coming to attack him again. 

\--- 

Yuki didn't like the chaos the invasion brought with it. She and Eon was evacuating the academy, which had been targeted early by several sand ninja. To weaken future generations, they'd said. They weren't such a match for an angry Uzumaki mother who had followed her daughter and the team. 

A lot of the role to evacuate the academy students to the safehouses in the Hokage mountain was to comfort them, because these were actually just children. Just like she'd been just a few months ago. She shivered slightly. They hurried through the streets, careful to avoid battles where they went. 

She could still feel the exhaustion from her battle wearing her down, but she managed to focus on evacuating the students. She could rest later. Hopefully. 

\---- 

Eon was a little proud of her route planning. They'd managed to avoid almost every battlefield, sometimes being at the edges of some, though they didn't see battle. 

She couldn't help but to feel worried, sure she manged to keep tabs on Yuki and Sakura, and she knew Obito and Kakashi could handle themselves. On the other hand, Ryuusuke was on his own. She didn't actually understand why Kakashi had sent him off on his own, but she couldn't help but to shake her doubts off with the reasoning that she had her orders, and she had to follow them. 

Once they had got the final students into the safehouses, the little group of genin jumped up on the rooftops, trying to get an overview of the situation. However, the snake summon that had been crushing village buildings earlier was gone, and the battles around were decreasing every second. 

They turned towards the arena, just in time to see a red, flaring shape shoot into the purple barrier. 

\--- 

Ryuusuke breathed heavily, standing at the edge of the rooftop. In front of him, he could see the Third Hokage, Orochimaru and the bodies of two others he didn't recognize. 

"Oh look," Orochimaru rasped out, blood dripping out from his mouth. "The jinchuuriki," He said. 

"Ryuusuke! What are you doing here?" Hiruzen shouted out. Ryuusuke could see the hokage's robes having been shed long ago, showing a battle armour Ryuusuke had never seen the Third wear before. 

"I'm going to help, of course!" Ryuusuke shouted. He channelled more into the Kyuubi chakra, the red shroud enveloping him again. 

"What?" Hiruzen said as he stared at Ryuusuke, before smiling slightly. He couldn't help but to feel pride well up inside him. But then, a jolt of pain rocketed through him, nearly bringing him to his knees. But the God of Shinobi held strong. 

"I'm sorry, my boy." Hiruzen coughed out, blood starting to drip from the corner of his mouth. 

"it's already too late," 

Ryuusuke didn't know what the Third had done, but Orochimau had started screaming and his arms turned into a sickening colour. The Third had a remorseful expression as he fell to the ground. Ryuusuke would have gone after Orochimaru, seeing how the sannin was now running away from Konoha along with his lackies. Letting the kyuubi chakra fade, he sprinted over to the fallen hokage. 

"Hey, stay with me alright! The barrier is going to come down soon now that they're leaving and we'll get you to a medic!" Ryuusuke said hastily, his breathing becoming rapid and uneven with anxiety. 

"Ryuusuke, my boy..." Hiruzen said. 

"Don't speak. Save your strength, the battle is over." Ryuusuke's voice cracked. 

"The village-" Hiruzen said. Ryuusuke shook his head. 

"The village doesn't want you -" Ryuusuke stopped. He felt like his heart stopped. He looked at the Third, who had now closed his eyes peacefully. 

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice shaking. 

"What do you mean?!" He asked, louder. 

"Answer me!" He screamed. 

The barrier had come down around him, ANBU suddenly charging towards him. One of them swiftly knocked him out, and his world turned black. 

\--- 

**"I told you they didn't care,"**

"Shut up," 

**"You should have listened to me from the beginning. Instead, you've turned yourself less and less human to protect those filthy flesh bags."**

"Not true," 

**"Not true? They locked you up in who knows where because they think you might have done something with the Third, and even the old man said that they didn't want you. Why should you help them?"**

"They are the only thing I have!" 

**"Well perhaps you should go and find** **someone else!"**

Ryuusuke gasped as he woke up abruptly. Looking around him, he could see that they had placed him in a room, probably for questioning later. He sighed. The Third's words still ringed in his head. 

The village doesn't want me. 

He slammed his fist into the wall behind him, screaming to let out his frustration. There was absolutely nothing in this room to keep him entertained, and by looking closer at his wrists he could see that his chakra had been sealed off. 

Wasn't enough to contain the demon itself in a child, but they had to contain him in a cell too? He hadn't done anything wrong. 

The door into his room opened, and in the doorway stood Obito along with the proctor from the first exam, Ibiki. 

"Sensei," Ryuusuke said. 

"Ryuusuke," Obito replied. Ryuusuke was slightly taken aback by the seriousness of his voice, but he didn't comment. 

"Is someone going to explain why I'm locked up now? Last time I checked, listening to a man's final words isn't a crime." Ryuusuke said. 

"We aren't holding you because you were with the Third when he died, we would like you to explain why the Kyuubi chakra was unleashed in large amounts during the finals and the invasion. In addition, we need you to stay put. You've been hiding away from your instructors the last month, and when you came back you presumably had full control of the Kyuubi." Ibiki stated. 

"I do not have control over the Kyuubi, but rather small portions of his chakra. I learned to use that small amount, but I figured that no one in the village would like me to control that power, and shut down my experiment. I kept my distance from the village, and my mastery of the chakra didn't only let me defeat the so-called prodigy Hyuuga, but the jinchuuriki from Sand as well." Ryuusuke explained shortly. 

"Now, how long was I out and how long will I be here?" Ryuusuke asked. 

"You've been out for a couple of hours, the invaders have been rounded up and arrested. There is currently an investigation going on to find out the exact motive and how Orochimaru connected into this. You won't be here for long, we might release you before the day is over, but I would like a Yamanaka to check on you, just to make sure that the Kyuubi hasn't gotten any influence on you." Obito said, walking over to Ryuusuke and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

"You did good, apparently, Gaara was going to be a major weapon in the invasion, but somehow you managed to convince him over to our side- " 

"How is Gaara? Is he being contained here? Can I see him?" Ryuusuke suddenly blurted out, eyes frantic. 

"Why?" Ibiki asked. Ryuusuke calmed down quickly. 

"Gaara and I... we're alike. I convinced him by extending my... friendship. I don't want him to be locked up somewhere, he might've been a little unstable during battle, but it's just the One-Tail's influence on him – I'm sure if we look at his seal we could fix it!" Ryuusuke said. Ibiki looked at Obito for a moment, having a silent conversation. 

"We will place a tracking seal on him, along with chakra restrictors. You will also have one until we're sure that the Kyuubi doesn't have a hold on you. You and Gaara can stay in your apartment, where a couple of ANBU will keep watch so no strange behavior occurs. Deal?" Ibiki asked. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"Deal," 

\--- 

Ryuusuke's apartment wasn't exactly tidy at the moment, but the mess largely consisted of scrolls and books being scattered around. Using the shadow clone jutsu he cleaned up the mess as soon as he and Gaara entered. 

"I don't exactly have much space, but I'm sure we could find another bed somewhere and make use of my training room. I think I have a broken matress or something I can move in there, and you can stay in my bed." Ryuusuke said as he closed the door behind him. 

Gaara gave a silent nod, before looking around the apartment curiously. 

"It isn't very big compared to the Kazekage estate." Gaara mused. He sat down on the couch, looking around the room curiously. 

"I know, it's only meant for one person. Now, the council made a couple of rules. You shouldn't leave the apartment without me, and anyway we will be followed by ANBU. We can't use any jutsu or chakra, or else the seals will completely shut us off and knock us out. We can't go out after eleven in the evening, and all the way until six in the morning." Ryuusuke said. Gaara nodded. 

"Other than that, this is no prison. You can make food as you want, sleep when you want, do some work out without chakra if you want, no worries." Ryuusuke continued. 

"Why are you doing this?" Gaara suddenly asked. Ryuusuke turned to him. 

"Because... I haven't met any other jinchuuriki before, and we need to stick together, you know?" Ryuusuke said, albeit a little hesitant. 

"Together," Gaara mumbled. 

"Anyway, I don't exactly have much food right now, so we'll have to go shopping soon. I could also introduce you to Yuki and Eon if we're lucky and meet them." Ryuusuke said. 

And so, the two of them headed out into the city. It wasn't exactly much standing, but Ryuusuke hoped that at least some of the shops were standing. Most of the infrastructure of Konoha was left untouched, except for the southern area where those huge summons had been. 

Sure enough, some of the market areas were up and running, and they managed to find some ingredients to actually make dinner and breakfast. With that, they decided to go and buy some clothes so Gaara would have something to sleep in other than Ryuusuke's slightly unfitted clothing. He hadn't exactly gone for normal clothes in a while. 

After getting what they needed, they started to head back to the apartment. However, an ANBU suddenly appeared in front of them. 

"Ryuusuke, report to the Hokage's office. Sabaku no Gaara, you are to accompany him to the tower, where you will be supervised until he leaves." The ANBU said. The two genin nodded, and headed to the tower. 

Gaara was stopped in the reception, leaving Ryuusuke to go up to the office alone. When he entered, he was met with the sight of Shikamaru, Yuki and Shikamaru's father, Shikaku. 

"Ah, Ryuusuke, glad you could join us," Shikaku said. Ryuusuke gave a small nod, before standing next to Yuki. She gave him a small smile, before the two of them turned towards Shikaku. 

"In the lights of the invasion, some of the council wanted to just say that none of the genin got promoted this round, however, seeing your acts during the exam and the invasion, the remaining part of the council decided to give you a hard-earned promotion. Uzumaki Yuki, Nara Shikamaru, and Ryuusuke. I, Nara Shikaku, head commander of the shinobi forces, currently acting as Hokage until the next is appointed, give you all the rank of Chuunin. Here are your vests and legal documents." Shikaku said and handed them their bundle one by one. 

"Thank you, sir." The three replied. 

They headed out of the office soon after being dismissed, in the reception they found Gaara, and Eon along with Hamako. The latter two were smiling, showing their pride for the three of them. 

"Congratulations," Hamako said and smiled. Yuki gave her a quick hug, while Shikamaru went to talk with Eon before leaving. Ryuusuke looked away shortly, before meeting Gaara's eyes. 

"Gaara, come over here," Ryuusuke called. Gaara headed towards him hesitantly. 

"This is Yuki, her mother Hamako and Eon. Yuki and Eon are my teammates." Ryuusuke said. Gaara gave a small nod before looking at Yuki. 

"I would... like to apologize about my behavior. About what happened in the final." Gaara said quietly. Yuki shook her head. 

"I... it's alright, we were in a battle. Things happen." She said, her voice showing her lack of conviction however. 

"Ryuusuke, I know you have to watch over Gaara-kun and all, but I have to talk to you, privately." Hamako said, her voice serious. 

Eon and Yuki headed to the Nara household, while Gaara was to be followed back to Ryuusuke's apartment. Ryuusuke followed Hamako, the two of them walking in silence towards the Uzumaki household. Once they arrived, Hamako led him to the living room, where the two of them sat down. 

"Ryuusuke, the Third and I made an agreement as you remember. The Third might not be here to tell you, which is why it falls to me." Hamako said. 

"Your full name, is Namikaze Ryuusuke. Son of Namikaze Minato, the fourth Hokage, and Uzumaki Kushina, my sister." Hamako said. 

Ryuusuke's breath was stuck in his throat. 

"T-the fourth hokage – my parents – your sister?" Ryuusuke breathed out. 

"Minato had many enemies, and the Third was convinced that it was safer to keep your heritage a secret, along with the fact that you are the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. I... was not told of your existence until I met you the first time." Hamako admitted. Ryuusuke was shaking, before he looked at Hamako, He was... broken. His face betrayed no emotion, and his anger – sadness and desperation were shining in his eyes. 

"I was – all alone." Ryuusuke's voice cracked. 

"I know," Hamako said softly. 

"He **knew."** Ryuusuke's voice deepened. 

"I asked him – HE told me he didn't know! He _lied_ to me!" Ryuusuke shouted. 

"He did so for your safety." Hamako tried to calm him down, but Ryuusuke stood up abruptly, pushing the chair backwards. 

"I was never safe! There was nothing safe about my upbringing! He didn't even know what I did most of the time! No one cared – no one bothered to care!" Ryuusuke screamed. He bolted out of the door, ignoring Hamako's voice calling him back. 

Ryuusuke sped down the streets, he needed to get back to his apartment, he needed to get out of view. He hated when people looked at him when he was like this. When he was weak. He thought he was done with being weak. The fourth – his father – had made him the village's target for hatred. His father had done this to him, and his mother? What had happened to her? Did she die along with the fourth? Or did she leave him after his father had turned him into a container? 

He slammed the door open, met with the darkness of his apartment. 

"Gaara?" He asked, his rage suddenly quelling slightly. Had he gone to bed? 

He headed towards his training room, now turned into his sleeping quarter while Gaara had his bedroom. There was no one in the bathroom either, seeing how the lights were shut off there too. Opening the door to his bedroom, he was met with complete darkness again. However, Gaara wasn't there either. 

"Looking for the one-tails?" A voice asked behind him. Ryuusuke spun around, and the last thing he saw was red clouds. 

\------ 

Yuki had headed home later that evening to find her mother crying by the couch. Hamako hadn't been too keen on sharing at first, but had soon mentioned how she'd messed up badly. It didn't take a genius to figure out that her talk with Ryuusuke had gone awry. 

"Mom, you can talk to him tomorrow, Ryuusuke probably just needs to calm down." Yuki said. Hamako nodded, before chuckling. 

"Here you are, calming me down." Hamako muttered. Yuki gave her a hug. 

"We're family, we support each other. No matter what." Yuki said. 

Yuki headed to bed not long afterwards, the exhaustion from participating in a chuunin exam final and an invasion wearing her down. 

. 

The next morning, Yuki was prepared to have her mother make her invite Ryuusuke over, however, her mother wasn't even home. 

Going on about her day, she headed towards Eon's house. Eon was home, but none of the adults were. 

"A jonin meeting was called this morning." Eon stated. Yuki sighed in response, sitting down next to her teammate. 

They sat in silence for a while before deciding to head out to the training ground and let out some steam. It was always good to work out, especially considering the stress levels they'd had recently. 

They had trained for barely an hour when Obito and Kakashi arrived suddenly. 

"Obito-sensei, Kakashi-sensei," Eon stated. Yuki looked hesitantly towards the, eyeing their expressions. The two jonins didn't say anything, they eyed their genin carefully before breathing out. 

"Ryuusuke disappeared last night," 


	9. Uzugakure

"Ryuusuke disappeared last night," Kakashi's words rang through the training area like an echo. They looked at each other carefully.

"We found no signs of a struggle, but there are no preparations for packing, all the essentials remain. Gaara is gone as well, however we looked over their chakra restrictors channels, and Gaara had used his chakra in a large manner before being knocked out by the seal. We assume they were both caught off guard." Kakashi stated.

"Currenty, a handful of jonin have formed a search party, due to Ryuusuke's importance to the village." Kakashi said. Yuki perked up at this.

"Importance?" Yuki asked. Kakashi looked carefully towards Obito, who gave a small shrug.

"… there is technically a law against this," Kakashi said.

"But, considering how important you are to him and the importance of the mission, I will let it slide." Kakashi continued.

"Ryuusuke, is the jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox. Meaning that he is the cage that stops the kyuubi to wreak havoc upon our village like it did thirteen years ago." Kakashi stated. Yuki didn't respond at first, letting the words sink in.

"He's missing, I w-" Eon started.

"I want to join the search party," Yuki blurted out.

"We would like to join the search party," Eon corrected. Kakashi smiled while Obito laughed loudly.

"We figured. Sakura is re-joining our team for this. We are the ones who know Ryuusuke best, and if he got out of whatever trouble he's in, we're the ones who will know what he will do, or the signs he will leave if he is incapacitated." Obito said.

"We leave in two hours, prepare for a long-term mission." Kakashi said.

"Yes sir!"

\--

The search had gone on for days, and the team had made several stops back at the village before heading back out again. Eon could feel the dread welling up inside her. The first forty-eight hours were crucial in a missing person case, and they had found no trace of Ryuusuke or Gaara what so ever. Obito had been called back to the village for some reason or another, and Sakura had been called back to help a guy named Jiraiya.

And so, Eon, Yuki and Kakashi were still continuing the search, and while Kakashi remained insistent that there was still hope to find him, Eon couldn't help but to doubt his judgement.

They had headed home for this week's search, to rest and stock up on equipment again. Yuki was spending time with her mother, because she had decided that now was the best time to tell Yuki that Ryuusuke was actually her cousin, who they hadn't known about before they got sorted into the same team.

Eon sighed, she was on her way home when the sky was darkening, signalling that another day was over yet again.

And then she met on a couple of sound ninja.

She narrowed her eyes as they got closer to her, but their intentions didn't seem hostile. For now. She walked towards them carefully, meeting them halfway.

"I'm pretty sure sound nin aren't appreciated in the village right now, why are you here?" Eon asked.

"Orochimaru-sama gave you a gift, he can make you stronger, better. I don't see why he chose you, seeing how he actually came for the jinchuuriki, but we are not to question his decisions. If you want to get what you wish for, he would be happy to oblige. You would have to leave this village, however. Unlimited power and resources, in return for loyalty. That's all Orochimaru-sama asks for." One of them said.

"You have three days to decide, meet at the west gate by midnight if you want to join," Another finished before they disappeared, leaving Eon alone in the streets. She looked straight ahead for a while.

Unlimited power and resources.

Those things had never tempted her before, but she was now in a position where those things were quite necessary. She would probably be able to find Ryuusuke, perhaps Orochimaru had taken him in the first place?

She looked towards the hokage mountain, as if the stone heads could give her the answers she was looking for.

The next day, the announcement that a new Hokage had been chosen arrived. They were all to meet for the inauguration in the afternoon, so that they could get the formalities over with as soon as possible, so they could show the rest of the nations that they were not lost without the Third.

Eon was not exactly surprised by their choice, but was a bit taken aback.

Seeing Obito stand on top of the tower, waving to the audience with the Hokage robes around him, she couldn't help but to feel pride. It wasn't long before the ceremony was over, and she hurried towards the tower. Now that her sensei was hokage, she knew that she could discuss this directly with him.

An audience took longer to get than what she expected, but sooner rather than later she was let inside the office.

"Eon, what can I help you with?" Obito asked with a grin.

"Sensei, I need you to understand that this is of outmost importance." Eon stated. Obito raised an eyebrow.

"Yesterday, I was approached by messengers from Sound. Orochimaru wants me to join him" Eon said. Obito didn't say anything.

"Of course, I would never join Orochimaru unless there was an ulterior motive, and I have come to the conclusion that if I serve as a spy, I could give Konoha valuable information, in addition to have the resources to hopefully find Ryuusuke. Perhaps Orochimaru was the one who took him, we know that the snake had an interest in him from the beginning." Eon stated.

"It's like putting a piece of meat to the hounds, this is way too dangerous." Obito stated.

"Sir, I must insist. I'm the only one Orochimaru will accept coming in without expecting much. And I have a feeling that going willingly is better than what he might decide to do. I also would like to say that you most likely cannot stop me from going, and if I go without your permission, you would have no choice than to declare me a missing nin, making it impossible for me to return." Eon stated. Obito bit his tongue.

"...two years," Obito said. "Maximum."

"Thank you -"

"I was not finished." Obito interrupted. "Orochimaru might or might not have taken Ryuusuke, so I understand that you will have an unquenchable thirst to find out if he did it or not. I understand that Orochimaru's resources and the fact that Ryuusuke is who knows where might give him the encouragement to try and find him as well. You will have two years to see if you can find him, if you find him before that time you will both return at once. If you don't find him, you will leave at that two-year mark anyway. You can tell no one of this mission, due to the implication it would be with the council if it got out. Understood?" Obito said. Eon nodded.

"Understood, sir." Eon said.

Obito stood up from his chair, rounding the desk before hugging Eon tightly.

"Be careful," He said.

"I will. Thank you, sensei." She muttered.

\--

The days went past, and the anxiety Eon felt built up every hour. Around eleven, an hour before she was meeting with the sound nin, she was outside Yuki's house.

Hamako let her in quickly, understanding that something was going on and didn't ask any questions. Eon headed into Yuki's bedroom, a lamp on her nightstand being the only thing lighting up the room.

"Eon, what are you doing here?" Yuki asked. Eon gave her a small smile.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I'm going to be away for a while, and you won't be able to know where. I'm going to be fine, and I'm going to find Ryuusuke. I need you to take care of Konoha." Eon said. Yuki looked bewildered.

"You're leaving?" She asked. Eon nodded.

"What about teamwork? What about all that Kakashi-sensei and Obito-sensei taught us about staying together?" Yuki exclaimed.

"No matter where we are, or what we do, we will always be team 5. We don't know where Ryuusuke is, what he is doing, and while we had our rifts back during the chuunin exam, I know that he cared so much about us. He wasn't expressive, he was super scared of losing us until the point where he almost did, but I'm sure that if we reach out to him once again, we will get him back!" Eon said with conviction.

Yuki had tears running down her cheeks, sniffling and trying her best to remain standing.

"We will bring him home." She said before throwing herself into Eon's arms, the two embracing tightly.

\----

Yuki had been quiet the last few weeks, her mother had noticed, her instructors had noticed, and her classmates had noticed. She'd been spending a lot of time with Sakura, finding comfort with her teammate. She hadn't gotten used to the silence around her, Kakashi was still training with her and Sakura, however Obito was much too busy and Eon and Ryuusuke wasn't... there.

Sakura had brought home Tsunade a week ago, it was a shock to the entire village. How she had convinced the sannin to come home was a mystery, but she had managed to get Lee back on his feet after what Gaara had done to him. They said he would make a full recovery and be back as a full-fledged ninja soon.

Yuki had been training a lot with her mother as well, working with her chains and how to properly control them, in addition to learning about healing techniques from Sakura, who was being apprenticed by Tsunade.

Kakashi had made up his mind to take Yuki's training full out, and properly prepare her for any kind of situation. It was tedious, and while she was silent most of the time and not up for small talk, one could feel the determination she emitted whenever she trained.

Along with Sakura, Kakashi had gotten a third member into the team, a very suspicious guy named Sai. Sai wasn't very good with people, not at all. He wasn't even good at acting like he cared.

It was a strange combination, and while Yuki didn't understand why they decided to make a full team, she wasn't one to question Obito or Kakashi's decision. However, it was nice being out in the field again, doing missions here and there.

The hidden sand village had become a good ally following the incident around Ryuusuke and Gaara. Gaara's sister, Temari, had risen up to the position of Kazekage, and was hastily drafting treaties with Konoha, eager to create an alliance that would last.

This was her everyday life for a long time. Just missions and training. It felt nice, to distract herself with anything, but she couldn't help but to feel slightly out of place. She wanted to get her team back, and she hadn't heard from Eon at all. She had all but disappeared after that night.

It was like this for nearly two years.

It was a morning like any other when Yuki had been called to the Hokage's office, to report in for yet another mission that her team would do. However, Kakashi seemed to be in a good mood, and Obito was intensily focused when they entered.

"Team Kakashi, I think it's time for you to get an A-rank mission from me," Obito said, a small glint in his eye.

"The mission is basically an extract and escort mission, however I don't think there will be much extraction. You are to meet up with the target at the border of Sound, and helping her to get safely back to Konoha." Obito said.

"Yuki, Sakura, I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time, and it's been itching the entire day." Obito said with a smile. Sakura and Yuki looked up, curious.

"Bring Nara Eon home."

\---

Eon was hurrying down the hall, dodging as many sound nin as she could. It wasn't too hard to get away from Orochimaru as she'd thought, and she was speeding out from the base at record speed.

Her retrieval team was to meet her at the border, and considering she sent the letter a few days ago, she was certain that it wasn't long until they arrived.

Speeding around a corner, she could see the light from outside pinpointing her exit. Using one last burst of speed, she all but teleported out of the building, rocketing into the forest.

Suddenly, a volley of kunai and shuriken came towards her, her eyes flashed up in red, her sharingan spinning wildely as she dodged the kunai before grabbing some of them, throwing the same way that they came from. It wasn't difficult to spot her attackers, and soon she was back on her way, with no one following her.

Lucky for her, Sound wasn't a big country, and reaching the border wasn't difficult. And with her current moving speed she knew she would get there before the day was over.

With her sharingan active, she could easily spot the chakra sources that she'd memorized from two years ago. Turning towards their direction, she used another burst of chakra to rocket towards them. She stopped abruptly at a tree branch, with the four konoha ninja looking up on her.

Before she was slammed down from the tree by two pink haired girls.

"You're an idiot!" Sakura's voice sounded, while Yuki laughing at the same time yelling about Eon's stupidity and recklessness.

"Hey, I need to breathe -" Eon gasped from underneath them. Sakura and Yuki hastily moved off her, before Sakura held her still.

"Medic check, not up for debate," she said and a green hue coverd her hands as she moved them up and down Eon's body.

"Clear to go, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said. Kakashi nodded.

"Let's go, we don't want any Sound nin to know that we were here," Kakashi said.

The group disappeared into the forest.

\--

"Orochimaru hadn't taken Ryuusuke, but with further investigation it is a good idea to presume that this group called Akatsuki got to him," Eon said as she explained her findings on Ryuusuke's whereabouts to the team.

"Orochimaru was a part of the akatsuki a while back, and while their goals differed after a while, he learned about their goal to gather all the tailed beasts and use them for their own. They are a group of highly skilled missing nin, and while Ryuusuke would've been able to fight back had he been able to, I'm sure we would have seen a struggle. However, both Ryuusuke and Gaara was being chakra restricted, and considering the emotional trouble Ryuusuke was in at the time, referring to Obito-sensei's report about the case, it's a good guess to say that they caught him off guard, perhaps even using Gaara as a hostage." Eon said. Yuki looked up.

"What does that mean?" She asked. Eon looked down.

"The Akatsuki wanted to exctract the biju, containing them somewhere else. As we guessed around two years ago, it is highly likely that Ryuusuke is... dead." Eon mostly whispered the last part. Yuki looked away. She had seen it coming. They had all seen it coming.

"We should get back to Konoha," Kakashi said. He wasn't looking at any of them, but they could feel that something wasn't right by him either.

The trip back to Konoha was quiet, with Yuki and Sakura explaining the different things that had happened in Konoha after Eon had left. Sai had remained quiet the entire time.

Eon had decided quite quickly that she didn't like Sai, that there was something off about him. However, she couldn't deduce what at the moment.

Before she knew it, the grand gates of Konoha was above her.

She was directed to the Hokage quickly, and didn't hide her grin as she stepped into Obito's office. The Uchiha was quick to give her a hug before she gave her report to him.

After her oral report was given, rather than report it was more of a quick debrief, she was dismissed and Kakashi was called in.

"Obito?" Kakashi asked, curious of why his teammate had called him in.

"All the jinchuuriki have disappeared." He said. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"How?" Kakashi asked.

"Apparently, they all left. There have been no signs of struggle, yet belongings have been packed. It's clearly not the same guys who took Ryuusuke and Gaara. All the jinchuuriki have just decided to get up and leave." Obito continued.

"You think there is someone other than the akatsuki gathering jinchuuriki?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm not sure, but the Raikage, quite upset about losing his brother, the eight-tails jinchuuriki, has called a Kage meeting. I want Eon and Yuki to accompany me, while you manage things here in Konoha." Obito said.

"Eon?" Kakashi asked.

"I need to have them by my side as we discuss the jinchuuriki matter, seeing how they have another personal input to the situation that might come in handy." Obito said. "I also want to have some quality time with them after all this time, you get to do that when we get back, but I'm stuck behind this desk." Obito continued.

"Your dream, your grave," Kakashi replied with a wink. Obito stuck a tongue out.

"We have to leave in two-days' time, make them rest up properly and prepare." Obito called out. Kakashi nodded before leaving.

\--

Five Kage meetings were not fun. They were tense, mostly consisted of arguing, and basically nothing got done. The five leaders would discuss with each other while the bodyguards were standing dutifully in the back, protecting their kage from... presumably enemies, but much more likely save them from boredom.

Eon didn't mind standing behind and observe the kage's interactions. It was a good opportunity to learn more about their counterparts. She couldn't help but to be in awe on Temari's, the current Kazekage, growth and how well she'd adapted into her position these last two years.

The current discussion on the table were the jinchuuriki that had gone missing, and how Akatsuki was rising in power, creating quite a stir in many smaller villages.

"He would never just leave!" Roared the raikage, Ay.

"From what has been seen, none of the jinchuuriki was exactly ripped out of their homes. They even packed their stuff." Stated the mizukage, a middle-aged woman named Mei.

"Not all jinchuuriki left in that manner," Temari stated.

"It doesn't matter how they disappeared, but where they disappeared to." Obito tried to get in, however the Tsuchikage, an old man by the name of Onoki, had started to argue with the raikage yet again.

"Perhaps if you trained your shinobi better you wouldn't have had this kind of trouble in the first place." Onoki cut in sharply. The raikage was about to barrel his fist into the table when all the bodyguards drew their weapons.

"Stand down," Obito said calmly. Eon and Yuki did as told quickly, however the rest of the body guards were much more hesitant.

"In addition to the jinchuuriki and the akatsuki, there has been an uprising of activity out on sea. We believed at first that it could have something to do with the akatsuki, however when our ships approached we got caught in a strange technique. When we came to, we had turned back towards our ports." Mei stated and narrowed her eyes.

"We were investigating further when we were met with two younglings, with a message about us having to stay away. They were from a native village, so they couldn't tell us where the letter had come from, only that they had been approached by a strange man and told to deliver it to the captain on that ship," Mei continued.

"That... is strange," Obito said.

"There are islands between our countries, but I'm pretty sure none of them are large enough to have an impact on activity standards." Obito continued and looked at Mei, who nodded affirmatively.

"That's because it's not just another small island," a voice interrupted. The kage looked towards the door, where now a girl – probably around twelve years old, were standing.

"How did you get in here?" Ay demanded. The girl didn't flinch.

"Aki, we're not going to hide from them," the girl said. Beside her, a boy around the same age flickered into sight.

"You're stupid, Tsuru – now we won't have an advantage," the boy – Aki – said.

"We were not going to fight them in the first place," Tsuru said with a grin.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Temari asked sternly.

"My name is Tsuru, I'm from the hidden village in the eddies, Uzushiogakure." Tsuru said with a smile.

"Uzushio was destroyed years ago," Onoki said, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Rebuilt. The Akatsuki is brewing on what will become a war, and we in Uzu shou-" Tsuru was interrupted by a sudden sound of crackling lightening.

"Tsuru. Aki. That's enough."

Eon froze. She could feel Yuki stiffen beside her as their gaze followed upwards towards the source of the new voice.

A white cape, rimmed with bright blue flames, was gently waving in the room after sudden motion. Eon could see what it was supposed to look like, and when her gaze followed up, she could feel her breath getting caught in her throat.

Bright blue eyes, glaring intensely down at them, framed by blond hair which spiked up in all directions.

"Uzukage-sama," Aki whimpered.

"Enough, we're leaving." The new person said. Eon could say for sure that he was the same age as herself, hell, she was certain who it was, yet a part of her refused to believe it.

"Would you explain what's going on her?!" Onoki shouted loudly. The blond teen turned towards him, eyes hard.

"My genin disobeyed my direct orders, Uzushiogakure is not partaking in your war. And we would very much like you to leave us alone." He said. Some of the kage stood up, ready to fight him for his words. He drew a sword, and a small gasp was heard from Yuki.

"The Tsumibito," Obito mumbled.

An eye flashed red, now that same demonic eye that had haunted Yuki and Eon alike for the past two years was staring straight at them.

"If you attack me, I will not hold back. Let us leave, and there will be no trouble." He said as he aimed his sword towards them.

"There is no need for this," Obito's voice rang out.

"Let. Us. Leave." The blond said again.

"Now, now, Kyuubi, we don't want you escaping our grasp yet again now do we?" Another new voice sounded. A masked man was suddenly standing behind the blond one. The blond shot down towards the Hokage, turning his back to them while staring up at the newcomer.

"Shit," he mumbled.

"Kyuubi?" The other kage murmured. The blond gritted his teeth.

"You won't fucking get me again," he growled. The masked man laughed.

"I'm afraid I will. You were wise to hide and stay under the radar for so long, however the moment you stepped out and into this building, I mean literally, how stupid can you be? You thought I wouldn't be observing this?" The masked man said mockingly.

"Tsuru, Aki, get away from here," The uzukage said.

"Now, I'm not here to fight you... right now," the masked man said.

"Kyuubi, I know you know where the other biju are. Tell me and hand them over, and I will perhaps spare your pathetic village. As for the rest of you, surrender to the Akatsuki, and there won't be a war." The masked man continued.

"You're insane, I will never give them up." The blonde stated coldly. The raikage suddenly smashed his fist on the table.

"Like hell we're going to surrender to someone like you." He said angrily. The masked man hummed, amused.

"Then I suppose it's just for me to declare it official," he started.

"This, is the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War."

\-----

The masked man had disappeared as quickly as he came, leaving the kage to ponder exactly what the consequences of this meeting was. The Uzukage was checking on his genin in the corner, and by the looks of it giving them a small scolding as well.

Eon went up to Obito, as if asking a question.

"It's no doubt, but unless he approaches us I'm not sure if we-"

"Bullshit," Eon interrupted him. She started walking towards the Uzukage, her intent of speaking quite clear to everyone in the room, but before she got to his side, he turned towards her.

"I'd stop right there, Konoha-nin." His voice was cold and sharp, his eyes dismantling the certainty she'd had a second ago.

"Ryuu-"

"Don't talk to me," he said and turned his back again.

"It was such a pleasure meeting you all, fellow kage, but I have a village to run and genin to lecture. Do not approach us," He continued as he started to walk out the door.

"Wait! That masked man said you knew the whereabouts of the other jinchuuriki! Have you seen Gaara?" Temari's voice shouted, her voice ringing with desperation.

"… He's fine." The uzukage said before disappearing, along with his genin.

"Obito-sensei," Yuki tried, but Obito shook his head.

"Not now," he said.

\--

The trip back to Konoha had been silent, and the severity of the situations was wearing everyone down. Obito had remained silent most of the trip, while Yuki and Eon chatted silently in the background, following their sensei dutifully.

Once they returned, Obito had immediately briefed Kakashi on the situation, readying their forces and finalizing a plan to create an alliance between the five great nations. After a couple of days, he called Yuki and Eon to his office.

"Now, I understand that the two of you might not have been happy with my decision to let him leave like he did, but understand that I know where to find him." Obito stated as they stood in front of him.

"Uzu is an island outside the land of fire, and had a hidden village before the second great ninja war. During the war the village was destroyed, an almost all Uzumaki were eradicated. In the end, there was only ruins. Only someone led by an Uzumaki can find the village when going there, as long as the defences are up. Considering what Ryuusuke might have discovered for the last two years, I'm sure that's what he did. Which is why you two are going there as ambassadors for Konoha to negotiate." Obito continued.

"Ambassadors?" Eon asked.

"Considering that Uzu has its own genin and kage, we can determine that they actually have an organized force. I want you two to go there and convince Ryuusuke to join our alliance. You are the only ones I think he'll listen to." Obito said.

"But sensei, if Ryuusuke was kidnapped by Akatsuki, but now is opposing them... doesn't that mean that he escaped at some point? Why didn't he come back?" Yuki asked. Obito looked to the floor.

"I'm pretty sure that the only thing that held Ryuusuke in Konoha was that it was the only place he knew, and you guys." Obito admitted.

"You both know that Ryuusuke's childhood wasn't exactly the best, and the villager's treatment towards him wasn't acceptable. He didn't trust anyone until you guys, and when the entire deal with him and the kyuubi started occurring, it is almost certain to say that he felt like he had lost you." Obito continued.

"He didn't," Yuki started, but Obito stopped her.

"It's in the past, and you should probably hear Ryuusuke's own explanation rather than my theories. If he tells you, that is. Leave for Uzu as soon as you can, Yuki, you will be able to lead the ship into the city considering that you are an Uzumaki. You remember the general direction?" Obito asked. Yuki nodded.

\---

Arriving at the docks, Ryuusuke was met with a handful of people, some less happy than others.

"Aki, Tsuru, go back to your sensei. I'll call you to my office later," Ryuusuke ordered. The two genin hurried off back into the village.

"Gaara, Itachi, how nice of you to greet me at my return. I see Fuu didn't keep her mouth shut." Ryuusuke said and eyes the three in front of him. Gaara was staring at him, betraying no emotion, while Itachi was – albeit his lack of expression – positively angry.

"You left the village without telling anyone, and you went alone." Itachi started. "Not only did the genin compromise our hiding, but you made it worse by revealing yourself to Konoha." He continued angrily.

"I'll give you a debrief of the meeting at my office," Ryuusuke stated as he continued walking. "Honoka is at my office, right? I need her to organize a couple of my meetings today." He said. Itachi sighed and walked alongside him, Gaara walking on the other.

"Yes, she's been sorting the paperwork for the upcoming graduates from the academy," Itachi said. Ryuusuke nodded affirmatively.

"Any newcomers?" Ryuusuke asked.

"You've been gone for barely three days, and yet around fifteen people have arrived. Another Uzumaki leading them." Itachi continued.

"Uzu is calling them home, it's magnificent." Ryuusuke said as he looked around the island.

"Kirigakure have continued patrolling our borders, would you like to send them another message?" Itachi asked. Ryuusuke shook his head.

"I've met all the kage, and I'm pretty sure my message was pretty clear to the mizukage, while she might not know this is our exact location, I'm sure the Hokage will brief her on it soon. I can also organize a meeting with her at a later date, Uzukagure's existence has already been revealed, and while I could still keep its location hidden, it's existence will always be a known fact. To make sure that our intentions are hostile, I'm thinking of meeting with the kages when the fire has died down a bit." Ryuusuke explained.

"Wise, however too much exposure might make them want more than just a promise that we stay away," Itachi said. Ryuusuke nodded.

"Right, please call the other jonin to a meeting at my office in two hours, I'm gonna... organize," Ryuusuke sighed loudly at the end.

"Why did I agree to this job again?" Ryuusuke asked.

"You didn't, we agreed that you would," Gaara stated as a matter of fact.

..

Ryuusuke entered his office, Gaara following behind closely. Once the door was shut, arms wrapped around Ryuusuke's waist.

"Don't ever leave like that without telling me," He murmured as he rested his head on Ryuusuke's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I was quite... angry when Aki and Tsuru had left alone," Ryuusuke mumbled.

"More like worried," Gaara countered. "Are you sure you don't want to take Bee's offer on going to that island in the lightning country? Learn to control it? The seal is barely holding together now, and don't try to act like your transformations don't occur more often now," Gaara said. Ryuusuke looked away.

"Akatsuki is on the rise, leaving the village more than necessary could lead them straight to us," Ryuusuke whispered. Gaara hugged him tighter.

"What if you lose yourself completely?" He asked. Ryuusuke grabbed his hands with his own.

"I won't, as long as you're here... I won't." He whispered.

\--

A few minutes later, Itachi entered with the other jonin of his village. There was a total of ten, being Itachi, the jonin commander, Gaara, his advisor, Bee, Yugito, Fuu, Yagura, Han, Roshi, Utakata and Zabuza. It was interesting how the all had gathered, but Ryuusuke was happy that they did. Zabuza he had found again after wandering around with Itachi after Itachi had rescued him and Gaara. After that they had found Yagura, who Itachi had kept in a safe place from a long time ago, keeping him away from the Akatsuki's clutches. The rest of them were also jinchuuriki, and the group had found them and convinced them. Bee was the most difficult to convince, along with Yugito, however they joined him eventually as well.

"Akatsuki has declared war on the Five Great Nations, and they will probably be even more relentless in their hunt for the jinchuuriki. We have a village to keep safe, and as long as we stay here I'm positive that we can defeat them. However, the uprising in civilians have me worried. If Akatsuki attacked, we would need to evacuate them. In this case, I want all the genin and chuunin to go along with the civilians. Itachi, you're my advisor, I need you to organize this kind of scenario as soon as possible.

Zabuza, you and Haku will organize the chuunins to patrol our borders carefully, make use of the mist. The rest of you, we are all targets of the Akatsuki. If Akatsuki attack, it is our job to keep the villagers safe. The village itself can be reconstructed easily with Uzushio's seal, but the people cannot. When all the civilians have evacuated safely, you are to go into the tunnels and collaps it. Make sure that the Akatsuki cannot follow you and stay out of sight. If Uzushio is attacked, you should disappear completely. Don't leave a trace." Ryuusuke said. The jonin didn't say anything, but kept their backs straight.

"I am going to negotiate with the villages, to see if I can find some way to keep you all safe if this is going to happen, however considering their former treatment of us, I find it unlikely. Which is why I hope that the Akatsuki won't find us until the war is over." Ryuusuke continued.

"However, we should prepare our forces to fight," Ryuusuke stated.

Then, the door suddenly slammed open.

"Uzukage-sama!" A chuunin screamed.

"Akatsuki, they found us!"

\---

Eon and Yuki had finally found a boat they could take across the ocean between the land of Fire and Uzugakure.

The trip over was pretty calm, and navigating through the whirlpools had been troublesome at first, but proved to be quite easy after they found the safe route. It wasn't long until the island of Uzushio was visible in the distance.

And it was burning.


	10. Ryuusuke has feelings

" Akatsuki found us !" 

Ryuusuke wanted to  scream . His face  paled and  he looked at his  jonins .

" Evacuate the civilians. Evacuate everyone,  Zabuza you're in charge of that.  Itachi , get the  chuunins and  genins to help if you find any, other than that fight off any enemies you can find.  Gaara , sound the alarm and protect the  civilian s, your abilities are best suited for that. 

The rest of you will help with fighting off whatever enemy has entered this village. If all the members are here, you are to outlast them until the civilians are out of the city before blowing the tunnel, with you on the other side. No one is remaining in this village. I can get out without going through the tunnel, you know that. I won't hear any discussion. Now go!"  Ryuusuke barked out. 

They dispersed quickly and  Ryuusuke turned to look out the window. A lot of chaos had already begun. His brows furrowed in concentration.

"Multi shadow clone  jutsu !" He exclaimed.

Around a hundred of clones dispersed into the city, helping civilians evacuate while fighting off some strange summons . In addition, there were th ese guys in the A katsuki cloak with orange hair and piercings, who had proven to be very formidable opponents.

Channelling the  kyuubi chakra, he could see the red hue surrounding his clones as well,  giving strength to the  chuunin and  genin who was running low on chakra. Sure, the pain of the chakra would  momentarily stop them, but they got used to it after a short while due to the  urgancy of the situation.

In the distance, he could see the transformation of the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, the only one of the  jinchuuriki who had full mastery of their  biju . 

" Kyuubi ," A voice sounded behind  Ryuusuke . He turned around.

"I suppose  you are the  notorious Pain, leader of the Akatsuki."  Ryuusuke said as he calmly stared down the other man.

"You and the others are coming with me," he said. He reached an arm forward, 

"Gravitational Pull," He said  calmly .  Ryuusuke was lifted off his feet, before being dragged towards Pain in the air. A black rod was drawn out from under his robe, aiming towards stabbing  Ryuusuke . And then, the blond disappeared in a yellow flash.

He reappeared behind Pain, crackling lightening surrounding his hand as he slammed his fist towards Pain, before being repulsed and shoved into the wall of his office. 

"It is futile," Pain said.  Ryuusuke didn't respond. He brushed of the dirt he had gotten on him as he stood up. 

"As long as I keep them safe, it's not futile at all."  Ryuusuke said.

"Says the one who abandoned his home, his friends, his family." Pain said.  Ryuusuke froze.

"I didn't -" He started. 

"We did take you out of the village, but you never returned. That was your choice. You decided to leave them," Pain continued.

"They abandoned me."  Ryuusuke said lowly. His eyes flashed red.

"You feel hatred for them, and they feel hatred for you. But you do not know pain." Pain said.  Ryuusuke gritted his teeth.

"I know that you're insane." He growled. Pain didn't look affected. 

"Let's see if we can make you know true pain, starting with this village." Pain said. Pain disappeared out the window, and when  Ryuusuke ran over he could see the shape of him far up in the sky. His eyes widened. What could he possibly do that far away? And if he believed he could, how destructive was it going to be?  Ryuusuke reached out with his chakra. Many were still in the tunnels.

"Shit!" He  gritted his teeth as he teleported to them. 

When he saw all his  jonin stationed at the entrance, guarding it carefully while six other bodies of Pain flew up to the sky with him, he knew that he needed to do some quick thinking.

" Itachi ,  Gaara . Stay here. Rest of you, get the civilians as far into the tunnels as you can. Evacuate them to Kiri and Konoha, they are the closest villages. I know Konoha will accept them, but we can't overload them. Try at Kiri as well."  Ryuusuke ordered. They nodded and ran into the tunnel, despite some of them looking at him in protest.

" Gaara , I need you to support the tunnel with your sand, it might collapse when we blow the entrance.  Itachi , you will be furthest ahead, while  Gaara will protect the tunnel where most of the  civilians are.  Itachi , use your  susa noo to protect the civilians for whatever is coming from Pain. And hurry! I will protect you from out here and meet you in Konoha!"  Ryuusuke ordered quickly before ushering them into the tunnel.

"Let's go,  Kyuubi !"  Ryuusuke screamed. 

**_ " _ ** ** You do know the consequence this will have, right?"  ** The  Kyuubi asked,  a  twinkle of mirth in his voice.

"I know," 

From above, he could hear Pain's voice ring through the area, despite the distance between them.

"Almighty Push!"

Ryuusuke channelled into the  kyuubi chakra, in much more massive amounts than he had ever done before. His skin was burning as the red chakra expanded into a massive shroud, covering the entire  tunel with chakra.  Ryuusuke could see the wave of chakra head towards him, he could feel the strength of the attack as it hit the shroud hard. He felt how his bones almost snapped under the pressure, probably would have had it not been for his healing  capabilities . With a roar he  reinforced his shroud's  strenght . He heard the tunnel exploding behind him, starting to shut the entrance completely. He could see  Itachi by the entrance, protected by the Susanoo as the  tunnel collapsed.

"Thank you,"  Ryuusuke said. He knew  Itachi probably didn't hear him, but he knew what was going to happen. And  Itachi , despite his love for  Uzu and Konoha alike, knew that he couldn't save  Ryuusuke . 

-.-

The pressure disappeared. And when  Ryuusuke looked around him, he almost didn't recognize where he was. The entire city had been levelled, a large  taking its place . The area  Ryuuskue was standing on looked like a  pillar made of stone, the only thing protected from the blast.

Gasping for air as the exhaustion hit him, he teleported not very far away, hiding in the rubble of a house to catch his breath. 

"Did you really think you could escape me,  Kyuubi ?" Pain's voice rang out as the man floated down and landed in front of him.

"I wasn't trying to,"  Ryuusuke responded with a smirk. Pain went over to him, grabbing  Ryuusuke's throat and lifted him up towards the wall. A large black rod slid out from his sleeve, and Pain snapped it off before imbedding it through  Ryuusuke's shoulder and into the wall. He grabbed another one and lifted his arm, slamming into where his elbow was, restricting his movement.

"You will learn not to run again," Pain said as he  slammed another one into the other elbow.

"Last time, you were lucky," He said and took another one and stabbed it into his hand, before doing it to the other hand as well.

"And we will find your friends, and we will show the world true pain." Pain said as he stabbed a rod into both of his legs,  pinning him into the wall completely.

"And once we finally achieve true peace, you will see that your sacrifice was for the best," Pain said as he stabbed another into  Ryuusuke's abdomen.

Ryuusuke screamed in pain the entire time, every wound burning as he felt Pain's  rinnegan watching him from every angle. His seal was burning as well, the  kyuubi chakra running wild inside his body as his eyes  flickered between his normal sight and the  en hanced one he got whenever he used the  kyuubi chakra.

"NO!" A roar sounded.  Ryuusuke looked to his side, where two people he thought he would never see again came running towards him, and he couldn't help but to feel fear overriding his entire being.

Yuki used a large golden chain to slam Pain away, to his surprise. Eon then landed in front of him,  Sharingan spinning  wild ly as she stared Pain down. Yuki joined her side quickly, the two of them standing protectively in front of  Ryuusuke .

"What are you doing here?"  Ryuusuke screamed.

"Get out of here!" He roared. Yuki shook her head. 

"We don't abandon family!" She exclaimed determinedly.  Ryuusuke felt something hot press against his eyes.

"We're not family – I left you for a reason!" He tried to scream, but this time Eon shook her head.

"You're too easy to read,  Ryuusuke ." She said.

"and besides, we're actually related by blood," Yuki joked. 

"And now it is time for you to let us save you." They said in unison.

"Please don't,"  Ryuusuke's voice cracked. 

The two of them rushed ahead, fighting in unison despite having being apart for two years. Yuki's progression with the chains was amazing, and  Ryuusuke couldn't help but to stare at her in awe as he saw how synchronized she was with them.

Eon had developed her shadow  jutsu insanely well, in addition to her curse mark having amplified her chakra and  streng th , a shadow like wing had sprouted from her shoulder, and her eyes had a black background while her  sharingan was glowing in a strong red. Shadows looked like they were seeping out of her, as she almost blended with them when she moved. The two of them fought like they had been a  well-oiled war  machine. 

Ryuusuke was staring in both awe and terror, and while he in one second felt a tiny flicker of hope, it was quickly snuffed out. Pain lifted his hand again, three other Pain bodies arrived next to him.  Ryuusuke roared in  agony as he moved his finger, creating a  one-handed hand sign.

"Blood clone  jutsu !" He roared. Three clones appeared around him, and they rushed ahead towards the other Pain bodies, they all crossed their hands and created shadow clones.

It worked for a little while, before Pain used that blasted almighty push technique. He threw Eon, Yuki and all the clones in different directions. Eon managed to catch herself, while Yuki slammed painfully into a wall, falling to the ground. She tried to stand up soon after, but Pain appeared above her, slamming a black rod down.

Ryuusuke and Eon screamed in protest, and then another Pain arrived at Eon's location, slamming her into the ground before using his gravitational powers again, throwing her into a nearby wall. Blood splattered onto it, before she fell to the ground.

_ B _ _ adump _ _. _

Ryuusuke felt blood pounding in his head, however it felt like his heart had stopped. He felt weak, yet incredibly strong in a second. His muscles tense. He was calm for a second before he felt it.

Rage. 

Blinding rage that filled his vision, filled his body. The beating of his heart like  a  war drum . He stared at Pain, who had now once again turned towards him.

_ Badump _ _. _

He could feel the  Kyuubi's hatred bubbling inside him. The  Kyuubi's insistence.

**_ "Fight him. Kill him. Tear him apart. Look what he did."  _ **

It was like a mantra. And he listened.

A roar of pain ripped out of him as he tore himself of the wall, red bubbling chakra erupted from hi m like a volcano as he suddenly went past every b oundary he had had before. His skin was  ripped off as blood and chakra alike mixed together and surrounded him. He couldn't see anything except Pain. He couldn't see anything other than his prey.

\--

Yuki opened her eyes slowly as she tried to understand the situation. Spotting Eon not far from her, she sped over to her despite her body's protest. Gathering the remaining of her chakra, she managed to heal Eon's wounds, at least  stab i lizing them.

Standing up carefully as her own healing factor kicked in, she couldn't help but to feel her legs quivering underneath her as she saw what was in the crater of  Uzu .

A large,  monst rous fox with  nine tails, however no fur, was being held down by an insane amount of rubble, roaring and struggling against its restrains. She spotted Pain not far from it, holding his hand out and struggling by the looks of it.

The nine- tailed fox roared again, baring its teeth and trying to slam its claw down on Pain. She fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks. She knew what happened if that transformation got completed.

Ryuusuke would be gone forever.

\--

In his mind scape,  Ryuusuke was staring at the  Kyuubi . The seal which had once been a strong gate, was broken several places, the only thing  separating him from the beast was a  couple of bars which  had  a piece of paper on it.

** "Give up,"  ** The  kyuubi taunted.  Ryuusuke didn't reply, his red eyes staring at the piece of paper  intens e ly . Water started to build up underneath him, swirling around as it lifted him towards the piece of paper. 

Raising his hand, he could feel how old and broken the paper was. Grabbing one of the corners, he started to tear the seal off.

Then, a hand grabbed his own and threw him down , away from the gate.

Ryuusuke opened his eyes in surprise, before seeing another person. A person, in his mind scape.

"W-who are you?" He asked. The man looked at him, eyeing him carefully.

"Hello,  Ryuusuke ." He said. His voice was soft, yet somehow emitted incredibly power. 

"Hello,"  Ryuusuke replied hesitantly.

"I suppose you don't know who I am?" He asked.  Ryuusuke looked  at  his back, which was facing him while his head was turned towards him.

"you... you're the fourth  hokage ."  Ryuusuke whispered in disbelief.

"You did this to me," he said grabbing his torso painfully. 

"You need to understand, that if I had any other choice -" the former  hokage started.

"How could you seal the  kyuubi onto your own son?! Do you have any idea what I went through?!"  Ryuusuke screamed. The Fourth winced.

"I was all alone! No one would help me! I had no one for so long!"  Ryuusuke screamed. 

"I know, I saw it through your eyes," the older man said. 

"W-what happened to my mother?"  Ryuusuke asked, his voice cracking. "I never got to know and I assumed that she just... didn't want anything to do with me after... after" The fourth quickly enveloped  Ryuusuke in a tight embraced.

"Both me and your mother loved you dearly,  Ryuusuke . Had we had any other option, we would've been there with you." He said. He clutched onto  Ryuusuke's back as the younger boy cried loudly, holding onto his father for his dear life.

"You need to understand this. Before you, your mother was the  jinchuuriki of the  Kyuubi . During childbirth, a female  jinchuuriki's seal is at its weakest. We made many precautions, yet somehow someone managed to get in. He released the  kyuubi from its seal, which is what happened October tenth sixteen years ago. I used the death reaper seal to trap the  Kyuubi inside you, my only son. The only one I knew could handle this burden.  Kushina was an Uzumaki, and would have survived the extraction had it not been for her insistence to continue to fight, in the end, she saved both of  our lives ." Minato said. 

"I don't blame you for leaving Konoha, in the end, I always wanted you to make your own decisions. I love Konoha dearly, and hopefully you will continue to protect it along with your own village. I am very proud of what you have done. I believe , that you can truly bring peace to this world, along with your  friends and family . Now, we need to stop the  kyuubi from escaping you. I can repair the  seal; however, I can only do it once. This is the last time,"  Minato  said .  Ryuusuke sniffled as he clutched onto Minato once again. 

Before Minato could do anything,  Ryuusuke's hand flared up in a bright light. He clutched it in pain as he turned to look at it. A circle, split in two along with a vertical line crossing it, one half white and the other half black, while the line was  coloured the opposite way, was emitting bright light. 

His hand forcefully  opened a palm towards the  Kyuubi and a golden shroud suddenly connected the two of them. The  Kyuubi's eyes widened, before he returned to a calm and relaxed state.

" ** To think he had this sort of plan."  ** He said as he laid down.  Ryuusuke looked at his reflection in the water, golden  slit eyes  were s taring back at him, before flickering into red. He looked up at the  Kyuubi who was staring at him. Looking back at his reflection again, the red had disappeared and was back into their normal blue, however, his pupils remained slit. 

The gate between  Ryuusuke , Minato and the  kyuubi was gone, and the mind scape which was before a sewer, was now more like a meadow.  An orange sky was above  them, like the sky during sunset with red and pink hues melting in it, creating a  beautiful scenery along with the  clear water underneath them. 

"What is this?"  Ryuusuke whispered. 

** "This is your true mind scape,"  ** The  kyuubi said.  ** "What it will be here for depends on your choices ahead. Don't worry about me breaking out anymore, I am completely bound to you due to an ancient  ** ** jutsu ** **. Only you can release me if you do so voluntarily. However, that will kill you. My chakra is completely at your disposal,  ** ** though ** **** ** the hatred within  ** ** my chakra still exist, without proper training you might turn into a demon of your own making. I will  ** ** cooperate; ** **** ** however, ** ** my chakra is no simple task to control."  ** The  Kyuubi said.

"Thank you?"  Ryuusuke said. Minato was standing, visibly shocked next to him. Before pieces of him disappeared in a golden light.

"It seems like my time here is up," Minato said.  Ryuusuke whipped his head towards him.

"No... can't you stay?"  Ryuusuke pleaded. Minato ruffled his hair .

"You've made me and your mother so proud  Ryuusuke , and your impact on this world will be nothing but great. I believe in you, you are my son after all." Minato smiled.

\--

Ryuusuke opened his eyes, he was  standing on top of large pieces of rubble, with Pain standing in front of him. 

"You subdued the beast, I see. Now how will you defeat me?" Pain asked. His cloak was torn, and  Ryuusuke couldn't recall what had happened after he had lost himself in rage. 

"I will defeat you... with  _ my  _ power."  Ryuusuke said,  Channel l ing chakra to his hand, a golden hue instead of the normal re d appeared, it surprised him slightly,  however, he  pai d it no mind as he  channelled more, it flaring into life like a flame, before reshaping into wild lightning.

Disappearing in a yellow flash, he appeared above Pain with the golden lightning crackling behind him, he  slamm ed his hand forward and shot downwards. Pain barely dodged, and  Ryuusuke crashed into the ground, creating a large crater where his hand made contact. 

Jumping back onto his feet, he sped towards Pain at a speed that was difficult for even the  Rinnegan to see. Pain didn't manage to dodge that one, and was shot towards backwards. He  managed to save him from crashing into a wall and readied himself.

"You can't defeat me, not like this." Pain said.  Ryuusuke looked away.

"Okay, perhaps not, but..." He paused.

"We can," Eon said and she and Yuki appeared at  Ryuusuke's sides.  They exchanged small smiles before turning back to face Pain.

"Let's go!"  Ryuusuke shouted with a grin as the three of them rushed forwards.

Pain alone was incredibly strong,  however  the three of them together were much stronger.  Ryuusuke had not understood before how strong Yuki and Eon had actually become, and was in awe to see how they worked up close, how their bodies reacted to different situations. 

When  Ryuusuke attacked Pain in close quarter combat, Yuki would either halt Pain's movement with chains or restrain him, lead him where they needed him to be, while Eon would carefully place traps and position herself to efficiently use her shadow  jutsu .

They hadn't been fighting together for nearly three years, and still they fought like they had done before the  chuunin exam. 

It filled  Ryuusuke with adrenaline, and he was sure the other two felt it as well. 

"Yuki, chains!" Eon shouted as she jumped back,  Ryuusuke halted slightly, keeping his distance from the others. Yuki grinned, crouching slightly, five large chains and around a hundred smaller  on es erupted from her back, spinning and flying around  wild ly , obscuring Pain's vision. 

"Shadow Style: Prison!" Eon exclaimed. A large shadow, nearly like a wave, rose from behind Eon, surrounding all of them in an orb of darkness.  Ryuusuke could see where his teammates were due to Eon's  sharingan glowing and Yuki's golden chains. He tapped into the  Kyuubi chakra, and his vision flared up, now seeing everything in the darkness as if Eon hadn't completely blocked out the sun. 

Ryuusuke rushed forward, jumping on one of the larger chains and running on top of them. He created four shadow clones, each of them scattering quickly.  Ryuusuke clenched his fist, the golden chakra surrounding his hand once again as it formed into lighting. His eyes glowed in excitement as he shot forward at Pain, not realizing how fast he actually went.

" Kaminari !" He roared as the chakra massively increased in size, nearly dwarfing  Ryuusuke in comparison. He extended his arm, and it blasted down, shooting forward like a waterfall at the speed of light.

Smoke filled the area, and even  Ryuusuke was blinded by it, when the smoke settled, Pain was completely  obliterated , the only thing remaining being a piece of his A katsuki cloak.

"Is it over?" Yuki asked carefully, her breathing ragged as she fell to her knees in exhaustion.

"I... I think so,"  Ryuusuke replied as he stared down at the crater  below him. How much had his power grown? What had happened in his mind? He opened his palm, looking towards it and excepting to see that mark he had seen in his mind, however it was nothing there. 

He looked behind him, Eon had moved over to Yuki, supporting her despite her own exhaustion.  Ryuusuke smiled. They hadn't changed. Sure, they were older, and their outfits were slightly different from what he remembered, but they were still the same. 

He turned around and began to walk towards them. Before he had gotten to them completely, Yuki's gasp stopped him in his tracks. He  looked around bewildered before his vision suddenly began to spin, darkening every second. A burning pain ran through his body, and  Ryuusuke brought a hand to his shoulder, despite every limb in his arm protesting. Looking at his palm, he could see the familiar  colour of red covering it all.

He fell to the ground, his legs giving in unde rneath him. Yuki was by his side in a second, a green glow surrounding her hands. Her soft mumbling was  calming; however, he was  sure that  she was actually stressed beyond measure. Despite this, her voice lulled him to sleep, and she and Eon looking down on him was the last thing he saw before passing out.

\----

Eon didn't like situations like this.  Particularly any situation connected with  Ryuusuke the last times he had been involved had been more unpleasant, and less likeable. 

So, carrying him on his back while Yuki tried her best to keep him stable while they ran across the sea between the  Uzu island and the land of Fire. It wasn't bad enough that both she and Yuki were low on chakra from battling that Akatsuki guy, but water-walking across an ocean with an  unconscious person on her back, and Yuki using medical  jutsu at the same time? It was a calculated risk, but the odds for them just sinking into the water and drowning due to chakra exhaustion was probably higher than them making it across.

" Ryuusuke !" A male voice screamed. Eon looked up, and couldn't help but feel slightly surprised. A large floating mass of sand was shooting towards them. Yuki and Eon stopped, standing protectively around  Ryuusuke . Landing on the water, was a not so pleasant familiar shape of  Gaara .

"Let him go,"  Gaara said lowly.

"We're not letting you take him," Eon said  determinedly . 

" You are not leaving with him,"  Gaara responded just as serious.

"Guys, he is going to  _ die  _ if we don't get him to a hospital. The closest one that we know will take care of him is Konoha,  Tsunade-sama can fix this no matter what it is. But we have to get there!" Yuki argued.  Gaara looked at her,  analysing her every move and expression.

"I can take you there," he said carefully. "However, I doubt that  Ryuusuke would want to be there," he continued. Yuki looked at  Ryuusuke's pale face.

"It's the only option we have." She said.  Gaara nodded. Sand flew out of the gourd on his back, gathering underneath him, Yuki, Eon and  Ryuusuke's body and lifted them upwards.

"Lay him down," Yuki instructed.  Gaara helped Eon lift  Ryuusuke down from her back, laying him on the sand carefully as Yuki continued to heal his wounds.

"Hang on,"  Gaara said as his sand started to speed of towards Konoha.

The arrival at the hospital was nothing less than chaotic. Flying straight to the hospital wasn't recommended for some reason. The group had rushed in the doors, scaring pretty much everyone half to death. Some nurses came rushing towards them, a gurney with them. 

They lifted  Ryuusuke up on it, rushing him into some operation hall,  Gaara hot on their trail. Yuki and Eon remained in the reception, regardless of their want to follow as well. However, they knew that flying through Konoha's barrier without checking in would lead to trouble. 

"I'll go to  Obito -sensei, you stay here in case anyone comes," Eon said. Yuki nodded in approval as she sat down, catching a breath for the first time in the last few hours.

Eon hurried towards the  Hokage tower, and the moment she got  close, Kakashi appeared at her side. His eyes serious and calculating.

"I suppose you know something about the situation?" He asked. Eon nodded and Kakashi grabbed her shoulder, using the body flicker technique to appear in  Obito's office.

"Eon,"  Obito said as he sat behind his  tesk , hands folded.

" Obito -sensei," Eon greeted tiredly.

"I suppose you have something to do with the barrier  breach ? What happened with the ambassador mission?"  Obito asked.

"The breach was me, Uzumaki Yuki,  Sabaku no  Gaara and  Namikaze Ryuusuke entering in rush, due to  Ryuusuke's critical condition. He is currently in the hospital." Eon explained shortly.

"What happened?"  Obito asked, eyes wide in worry.

" Uzugakure was attacked and completely  obliterated by the Akatsuki." Eon answered.

"What?"  Obito breathed out, Kakashi was also visibly surprised.

"When Yuki and I first saw  Uzugakure in the distance, it was on fire. Not moments before we arrived around the outer island, the entire village was... I don't even know how to explain it. A shockwave levelled the entire place to the ground, creating a large crater. When we arrived... an Akatsuki member had pinned  Ryuusuke to a wall. That's when me and Yuki  intervened.  Uhh , battle  battle , the  akatsuki dude is probably dead." Eon said. 

"Elaborate,"  Obito said sarcastically. 

"Sensei, with all due respect, I have just travelled from Konoha to  Uzu , fought a guy who was probably way above my skill level alone, almost died, used massive amounts of chakra before then travelling half way across the ocean on foot while carrying an unconscious teen, before thankfully being picked up by  Gaara and then coming here. I am quite exhausted." Eon said shortly.  Obito nodded, he looked at Kakashi.

"Find Yuki at the hospital and make sure she knows she can rest, in addition keep me updated on  Ryuusuke's condition. Please keep  Gaara under observation as well." He said. Kakashi nodded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. 

"Eon, please go home and rest up."  Obito said. Eon nodded.

"Thank you, sensei." She said and walked out.

\---

Ryuusuke remained unconscious for two days.  Gaara had been by his side the entire time, while Eon and Yuki did so as much as they could, however they were often called to  Obito's office to deal with other matters. In addition,  Hamako had dropped by every now and then, being in a rare silent mood.

Gaara rested his hand on  Ryuusuke's , holding it softly as he gave a silent prayer. It was then that  Obito came in the room.

"Hello,  Gaara ." He said.  Gaara stood up, bowing respectfully to the  hokage .

" Hokage-sama ,"  Gaara greeted. 

"I was hoping you could fill me in on the situation, I take it you were with  Ryuusuke the last three years?"  Obito asked.  Gaara nodded slowly.

"Akatsuki invaded the village,  Ryuusuke had everyone evacuate."  Gaara responded shortly.

"Evacuate? There were a lot of civilians?" He asked.  Gaara nodded again.

"Uzumaki's have felt  Uzugakure call to them, however its slow working and not on everyone. The Uzumaki who heard the call brought with them families, orphans or others they met along the way. They are currently headed towards  Kirigakure or here, at  Ryuusuke's instructions."  Gaara explained.

"He would send them here?"  Obito asked.

"He was hesitant, but he knew you better than he knew the  mizukage . He knew you wouldn't turn down his people,"  Gaara said softly, looking at the  Uzukage .  Obito nodded.

"I'll make sure to prepare for them," he said.  Gaara turned towards him, eyes wide.

"Really?" He asked.  Obito gave him a wide grin.

"Of course," he said. 

" Gaara ..." A hoarse voice interrupted.  Gaara turned towards  Ryuusuke again, who's tired eyes were now scanning the room carefully.

" Ryuusuke ," he said as he went to his bedside again, clutching  Ryuusuke's hand.

"Where are we?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Gaara looked to the side a bit, before meeting  Ryuusuke's gaze.

"In Konoha," he replied reluctantly.  Ryuusuke's eyes widened. 

"The others?" He asked.  Gaara chuckled, grabbing  Ryuusuke's hand.

"They're on their way.  Itachi and I deemed it better to take them all here, seeing how little  connction to the  mizukage ."  Gaara said.  Ryuusuke nodded.

" Ryuusuke ,"  Obito said, his voice loud and clear.

"…  hokage-sama ,"  Ryuusuke said quietly.

"…"  Obito was silent for a moment, his eyes hesitantly looking at the blond.

"I'm glad you're okay." He said with a smile.  Ryuusuke remained silent, his eyes furrowing in concentration.

"How are Eon and Yuki?" He asked. 

"They're both fine, I put them off duty so I'm sure they get enough rest,"  Obito replied.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Right...  Gaara , as soon as I'm released from the hospital we'll go back to  Uzu , we will have to rebuild it. The sooner we get it done the sooner we can get our people's home back." He said seriously.  Gaara's eyes widened.

" Ryuusuke , you're in no shape to rebuild the village  again so soon. In addition, what's to say the Akatsuki won't come after us again – our  defenc es didn't hold last time,"  Gaara argued. 

"They followed me when I went home from the  Kage meeting. We will strengthen our  defenses and put the barrier up, complete shut down,"  Ryuusuke responded as he sat up, wincing slightly.

"You are in no shape to move,"  Gaara argued.  Ryuusuke shrugged.

"I am in no position to stand still while my people are homeless." He countered. 

"They won't be homeless if they stay here."  Obito said.  Ryuusuke turned towards him.

"We can't stay here," he said.  Obito crossed his arms.

"There is a war going on, rebuilding a village right after its been destroyed in the middle of it would be a waste of energy and resources. Your people can stay in Konoha, and all we'll ask for in return is contribution."  Obito offered.  Ryuusuke scoffed.

"I know what you Great Nations want from my people, I won't let you get it."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito raised an eyebrow. 

"Regardless of that,  Ryuusuke . We need to discuss something,"  Obito said, his voice softening.  Ryuusuke looked up at him.

"What?" He asked lowly. 

"The exact events of what happened three years ago."  Obito stated.  Ryuusuke's expression turned serious.

"I have nothing to say to you," he said, his shoulders starting to shake.

" Ryuusuke -"  Gaara tried but he was cut off.

"No,"  Ryuusuke said. "I won't go there again,"  Ryuusuke said as he clutched the blanket lying above his legs tightly.

" Ryuusuke , I just want to understand – what have you been doing for the last years? What happened when you were taken from the village? Why didn't you ever come back – or at least say that you were alive?!"  Obito tried as he moved closer to  Ryuusuke .

"Get out!"  Ryuusuke shouted.  Obito tried to protest, raising a hand, but  Gaara stood up in defiance.

" Hokage-sama , I'm grateful for you letting us stay here, however the  Uzukage wants you to leave." He said 'politely'.  Obito sighed, taking a step back. He walked over to the door, opening it before exiting. However, before he closed the door behind him, he turned to look at  Ryuusuke .

"Eon and Yuki will probably come to visit you again, as will  Hamako . I'm sure... you have a lot to talk about,"  Obito said softly, smiling. He closed the door, leaving  Gaara staring at it for another minute.

Ryuusuke slammed his hand into the bedside table, releasing a scream of frustration before clasping his hand at his mouth, shaking violently.

Gaara rushed over to his side, taking his hand again.

"I – I thought I could handle this now,"  Ryuusuke said, his voice cracking as tears started to spill out of his eyes.

"No one expects you to take this easy,"  Gaara mumbled.  Ryuusuke muffled a sob.

"Seeing sensei again, after Eon and Yuki – I – I can't,"  Ryuusuke hulke d . 

" Shh ,"  Gaara whispered as he hugged  Ryuusuke close.

"Perhaps this is good?" He whispered. "You can finally  clear up what happened,"  Gaara tried.  Ryuusuke pressed his face into the crook of  Gaara's neck.

"I don't want to know the truth," he croaked. 

" W hat if they really did abandon me?" 


	11. Explanations are in order

Yuki wasn't entirely sure what to think when she heard about Ryuusuke's encounter with Obito. She had talked to Sakura about it, who was assisting the doctor in charge of Ryuusuke's treatment behind the scenes. Sakura had said that there was a high possibility that Ryuusuke was just experiencing high levels of stress, but the exact causes why weren't entirely sure. 

Yuki didn't understand why Ryuusuke detested to be in Konoha so much, and while she now knew that Ryuusuke was a jinchuuriki, and that his treatment from the villagers was less than okay, in addition to his usual solitude, that he had reason to not like to be in the village. However, she didn't understand why he reacted so violently to Obito. She hadn't gone to visit him yet, after he woke up. Neither had Eon, and while her mother had considered going many times during the day, she somehow hesitated before making it to the hospital, due to the incident with Gaara that had happened the same evening Ryuusuke woke up. 

Of course, the moment they heard that he had woken up, Yuki, Eon and Hamako decided to go there together. When they got to the hospital, the receptionist told them to stay put, that Ryuusuke had told Gaara to verify the visitors before letting them in. 

Even Kakashi-sensei had been shut out, and while Obito considered using the Hokage card, he knew it was less useful to the situation at the moment. 

And so, Gaara had come to the reception, eyeing them all carefully as he ventured towards them. 

"Hello, Uzumaki-san, Nara-san and..?" Gaara looked up at Hamako. 

"Hamako Uzumaki, I'm Yuki's mother." Hamako said with a soft smile. Gaara just nodded silently. 

"You better just go back, Ryuusuke doesn't want to see you," Gaara said simply. His eyes were blank, however Yuki felt that he was looking somewhere else than them, somewhere beyond. 

"We need to talk to him," Eon said. Her voice was hard, but Yuki knew that Eon was slightly distressed. The Nara was always calm and analytical, she knew that Gaara wouldn't just let them through, however she also knew that Eon was just as shaken about the situation as the rest of their team. 

"He doesn't want to talk to you," Gaara responded. Eon looked directly at him. 

"Why?" She asked. Gaara's eyes flickered between something, however Yuki couldn't understand what. 

"It's not my story to tell," Gaara said lowly. Eon took a step forward. 

"Then he should tell us!" She said determined, however Gaara went straight up to her. 

"Who are you to ask him of anything? What have you ever done for him? He said he doesn't want to talk to you, he doesn't want to see you. Do you really think you can get him to explain... that to you?" He almost sneered at the end, the earlier hesitation gone. 

"Eon, Yuki, let's leave." Hamako said softly as she laid a hand on each of their shoulders. 

.-.--. 

It hadn't exactly been a pleasant encounter, and one that stopped them from trying again in the near future. Yuki headed towards the hospital. She had gotten Sakura to tutor her in medical jutsu, seeing how Sakura had practiced with Tsunade. Tsunade. It was slightly amazing. The sannin had returned along with Jiraiya not so long ago, and Yuki herself had been tutored by Jiraiya ever so slightly, to perform techniques with more skill than Kakashi taught her. It was mostly to collaborate one jutsu with another, and the effects that were created by that. 

Other than that, Tsunade was very busy with medical work, and Jiraiya went off to do who knows what all the time. Hamako had explained to her that Jiraiya was Konoha's spymaster, and therefor often going on trips. 

Eon had recently begun training with Kakashi again, after the situation had settled a bit. Obito had also tried to push his schedule around to tutor her on the sharingan, that they still had no explanation to how had gotten there. 

Yuki arrived at the hospital, and her gaze lingered on the reception. Tempted to go over and try to get Gaara to let her in anyway, regardless of his previous accusations and claims. She turned away, heading down the opposite hall towards were she and Sakura were training. 

Making her way around a corner, she crashed straight into another person. frantically apologizing as she hurried around the person. 

"Yuki," 

She halted. Somehow the calmness of the voice, regardless of what puberty had done to it, the same kind of intonation. The same kind of quirks, slightly hoarse for some reason. She turned. 

"Ryuusuke," She whispered. 

Ryuusuke was wearing a hospital gown, supporting himself on a cane. His hair was a mess like usual, however now that she got a good look of him, she saw that it had grown longer, less a chaos than what it had been all those years ago. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she suddenly went all into medic mode, looking up and down his frame with a analysing eye. 

"Better... I'm allowed to walk around now since the nurses' results are back and stuff. Gaara wanted me to stay put though. I think he's still mad at me for sending him away," Ryuusuke mumbled. Yuki gave a nod. 

"... I'm actually surprised," Yuki admitted. "That you haven't just hurried away." She continued quietly. Ryuusuke's eyes trailed to the side, avoiding meeting Yuki's gaze. 

"I have to wait for my people," Ryuusuke stated. "As the Fourth Uzukage, it's my duty to secure their safety." He continued, his voice quiet but not lacking conviction. 

"Uzukage?" Yuki inquired. Ryuuskue nodded with a small smile. 

"It's a long story," he said. Yuki shuffled her feet. 

"You know we would all want to hear it, surely we can figure this out." Yuki tried and took a step closer. Suddenly, Ryuusuke took a fast couple of steps back, his face scrunched up in a grimace. He almost looked scared, before his gaze fell into a serious, calm facade of anger. 

"I have nothing to tell you." He said and turned around, walking away promptly. Yuki lingered in the hall, following Ryuuuke with her eyes until he made a turn and was out of her sight. 

She sighed, before heading back towards her previous destination. 

\---.-- 

Eon had managed to keep herself from barging into the hospital many times. However, she got more and more agitated about it every day. She wanted to understand what the hell had happened to Ryuusuke, and why they couldn't find him at all, but he only way to do that was talking to the blond, and he was refusing to see them. 

She huffed in agonizing frustration as she put yet another 'need to read'-book in the 'read' pile. She tried to find different methods on how to talk to someone who doesn't want to talk to you, but it wasn't exactly the best advice around. 

"Just be persistent," Shikamaru advised. Eon spun around, seeing her cousin in her doorway. 

"Says the laziest person in town," she responded dismissively. 

"Ryuusuke has and always has been a soft one, he might be able to resist you from afar, but he will always seek for those close to him, that's how it is." Shikamaru said. Eon huffed. 

"I know that, it's easy to read him. However, the hatred he has is as true as his search for bonds. How it got there is beyond me, and he won't talk about it," Eon said. 

"Perhaps you should explain your side of things first," Shikamaru suggested. Eon raised an eyebrow. 

"I mean, if someone is believed to be the culprit, they ask the accused for proof of their innocence as well as the victim's story. If you can't prove that you're innocent, and Ryuusuke has some sort of proof that you are in fault of something, you need to convince him, rather than try and interrogate him." Shikamaru explained. Eon looked at him, surprised. 

"You're so troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled and left, leaving Eon to her thoughts. 

-.- 

Eon had gone to the hospital almost straight after her talk with Shikamaru. She went to the reception and once again asked for a visit to Ryuusuke. Gaara came down to meet her, holding a slightly amused yet pretty dismissive look. 

"Back again?" He asked. Eon nodded. 

"I want to explain something to Ryuusuke, he deserves to know what happened on our end, before he decides to dismiss us completely." Eon stated. Gaara looked surprised, he looked hesitantly towards the direction of Ryuusuke's room. After a moment of silence, he responded. 

"I'll ask him, wait." He said and walked away. 

Eon remained in the waiting room, and while she was a patient person, she thought there were truly limits to how long someone should wait. 

Noon turned to mid-afternoon, before turning into evening. When the golden sun above Konoha was well on its way down the mountain, she stood up to leave. 

"Wait!" Gaara's voice ringed calmly through the reception. When Eon turned around, she saw that Gaara looked a little, if not very, drained. 

"I managed to convince him, but you should make it short, and don't ask him many questions." Gaara said as she began to follow him to Ryuusuke's room. 

"He is still very fickle in his opinion about letting you in, don't push it. Let him come to you with his side at his pace." Gaara explained curtly. 

"I thought you didn't want us to talk to him as well, why did you push for it?" Eon asked. 

"I want him to remember who he is, right now... he's there at the same time he is not. I stand by his choices, but I truly believe that being here might help him, which is why I stalled Uzu's arrival to Konoha after we got here," Gaara said quietly. He made a turn in the hallway before stopping in front of a door. 

"I'll be out here while you talk, good luck." Gaara said with a small smile. 

\-- 

Ryuusuke had been debating whether or not talking to Eon was a good idea ever since he gave Gaara the ok for her to come up. Honestly, he was slightly regretting it. 

When she entered, he couldn't help but to avoid meeting her gaze. Ever since ending up in Konoha's hospital, he'd met with so many familiar faces he had hoped not to see much again. Even the slight sight of them back at the five kage summit had been... unpleasant. 

"Ryuusuke," Eon said calmly as she stepped into the room. 

"...Eon," Ryuusuke responded quietly. 

"I've come to the conclusion that our versions of the events that happened after your disappearance might be very different," Eon paused. Ryuusuke knew that she was trying to figure him out by simply looking at him, and he wouldn't be surprised if his face failed to secure the emotions he felt. 

"Different?" Ryuusuke asked, though he wasn't especially curious. If anything, he didn't want to know the entire truth behind the events. 

"I want to tell you what happened here first... if you still don't want to talk afterwards, fine, but please let me try to explain first," Eon said as she sat down on a chair. Ryuusuke nodded slowly. 

"After the invasion, everyone was called in to help rebuild the village, to identify those who died, to apprehend remaining sand or sound ninja. Obito-sensei told us that you were in 'protective-custody'. We weren't told why, but I later understood that you helped get into the battle the Third was in, and was there when he died." Eon said. 

Ryuusuke looked away. The Third's dying words had been ringing inside his head for the longest time, before he finally managed to get them out. That blasted old man, who seemed to have cared for him so much had discarded him like disposable trash in a blink of an eye. 

"Then, you were sharing your apartment with Gaara, making sure that he didn't go anywhere or whatever that arrangement was. We didn't learn the details, and we weren't exactly talking much at the time. The last time we saw you was when you left with Hamako." Eon said and looked down, her eyes knitted in concentration. 

"We were supposed to have a team meeting the day after, when a jonin meeting suddenly was called. I remember Shikaku leaving in the middle of the night, which was the first clue that something had happened. Yuki and I met up, and after a while... Kakashi-sensei and Obito-sensei told us about your disappearance," she breathed out looking out the window. 

"We were given the primary information that was deduced during the morning and night. The investigation was done fast, and by the time we got to know about it, search parties had already been formed. We were then told about your status as a jinchuuriki," Eon said. Ryuusuke flinched visibly, his hand closed tightly. 

"Yuki and I immediately signed up for the search, Sakura re-joined the team for the mission, and we headed out after two hours." Eon said as she recollected the memories, however when she met Ryuusuke's gaze, he looked visibly surprised. 

"We searched for days, and there was absolutely no sign of you anywhere. Sakura was called back to the village to help Jiraiya find Tsunade, Obito-sensei was elected Hokage. And then I met a couple of sound ninja." Eon said. Ryuusuke looked at her in curiosity, waiting for her to continue. 

"Orochimaru had marked me with the curse mark, and wanted me to come to him. Long story short, I decided that if there was someone who wanted to take you from the village, it was him. And if it wasn't, he certainly had the resources to find you. Obito-sensei and I made an agreement, and a week afterwards I said goodbye to Yuki before leaving to Oto for two years." Eon said. 

"What in the world were you thinking? Orochimaru? Alone? As a genin?" He exclaimed, and while he looked angry, it was obvious that he was more concerned than anything. 

"It was a choice that I made, I actually came back not long before the five kage summit. And I didn't find a clue about you. Orochimaru, one of the most resourceful ninja in the world, had no clue where you had disappeared to. No contacts who knew, no anything. I learned valuable and strong techniques from him under the guise of being his ally, and while it was rewarding, it wasn't what I was looking for. However, I did learn about the group called Akatsuki." Eon said. Ryuusuke closed his eyes, feeling dread welling up inside him. 

"Orochimaru had been a part of it at one point, the goal being collecting and extracting the jinchuuriki. I deduced that they came to Konoha, using the chakra seals on you and Gaara to their advantage. I know you were strong back them, but if they caught you off guard, or even used Gaara as a hostage... well, they are all S-class criminals for a reason. I presumed you were dead." Eon said with a sigh, before smiling. 

"Luckily, I was proven wrong. When you came to the summit, I was in disbelief, but the sword, the look. While I thought you had been dead for over a year, just that moment was enough to get hope back. But you were different, you are different, in ways I don't understand how. I know your upbrining was hard, harder than most, and that the situation with the chuunin exam was worse, but you had gone from your shut off academy stage to a happier person during our time as Team 5, before going straight back to not connecting with us during the exam. And with the seal? The Kyuubi chakra leaking out and you losing control? I had no idea what to do and Yuki was even more anxious! You wouldn't explain and I promised you I wouldn't tell her. I tried to understand how if you weren't killed by the akatsuki, and left on your own why you would, but then I remembered that you had packed nothing, everything you owned was still there. Then if you were captured and escaped, why didn't you come back?" Eon asked, suddenly rambling and looking at Ryuusuke with desperate eyes. 

"I don't understand... why didn't you come back?" She asked. 

Ryuusuke didn't remember Eon as an especially emotional person. He was used to her being calm and collected, like she had been in the beginning of her story. However, the desperation she was showing now made him doubt. He had figured Konoha had given up on him, but her story – it couldn't be a lie. Not with this kind of emotional outbursts around it. His former team and Hamako trying hard to get to him, how even Iruka had tried to get to him. He didn't understand how it added up. 

"The Third's dying words... he told me that the village didn't want me," Ryuusuke started. Eon stared at him. 

"What?" She breathed out. 

"He was dying, having done something to Orochimaru's arms, I didn't know what to do and he wanted to tell me, that the village does not want me." Ryuusuke said, repeating the scene in his head. 

"You left because of that?" Eon asked carefully. Ryuusuke shook his head. 

"I... didn't leave." Ryuusuke looked out the window, taking a deep breath before chuckling. 

"Eon, thank you." He said. Eon raised an eyebrow. 

"For what?" She asked. 

"Perspective," Ryuusuke replied. 

"I'll send Gaara to fetch you later, but I have a list of people who want to talk to me. I think... I think I might see them as well. I'm going to explain things later... I just need to see them. I saw Yuki earlier today, you know? I was so close to ramble about everything there and then, but I was afraid... and angry. But now, having you explained your side, despite my hesitation. You and Yuki running to save me in Uzu, bringing me here... I owe you guys an explanation. Especially team 5." Ryuusuke said with a small smile. Eon nodded, smiling as well. 

"I'll hold you to that," she said. Ryuusuke nodded. Eon went out the door and Gaara came in as soon as the door was about to close. 

"Gaara, please let the receptionist know that everyone has access to come. And also, if you could request the Hokage to come see me." Ryuusuke said. Gaara nodded with a smile, an excited glint in his eye as he headed out again. 

Obito came very soon after Ryuusuke had sent Gaara out. Ryuusuke figured that even though the hokage had a serious expression now, he was quite happy that Ryuusuke had agreed to see him. 

"Hoka-... Obito-sensei," Ryuusuke said. Obito grinned widely. 

"Ryuusuke," He said happily and sat down. 

"I'm sorry for my recent behaviour. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Thank you for agreeing to harbour my people in the circumstances we are facing." Ryuusuke said. 

"You don't have to speak so formally," Obito said. Ryuusuke chuckled. 

"A year under the hat as made it a habit," Ryuusuke responded. 

"I'm going to explain everything later," Ryuusuke continued. "I owe it to you, and the rest of team 5. However, there is another matter I wish to talk about with you." Ryuusuke took a deep breath. 

"I assume Hamako told you that I know about my parents?" Ryuusuke asked. Obito nodded. 

"I wish... I wish to reclaim my name." Ryuusuke said. Obito grinned. 

"Namikaze Ryuusuke, long lost son of the fourth hokage, returns to the village to change his name?" Obito asked. Ryuusuke chuckled. 

"Namikaze Uzumaki Ryuusuke, actually. The fourth Uzukage shouldn't deny his village most important name," Ryuusuke said. 

"Fourth, that suits you." Obito said. "I had a dream that you would succeed me as the sixth hokage, looks like that won't happen." Obito continued with a laugh. 

"... had things gone differently, maybe I would have. However, Uzu is my home, and the home of many others." Ryuusuke said. Obito nodded with a calm smile. 

"That's fine, your name is a simple matter. I'll fix the paperwork that Konoha has around it, I found it not soon after I took the office, actually. You can use the name however you want already now. It's always been your birth right... your parents would be proud of you, you know." Obito said, slightly more solemn. 

"I know," Ryuusuke said. 

"If you want stories, Minato taught both me and Kakashi, however, I was Kushina's favourite." Obito said proudly. Ryuusuke let out a small laugh. 

"You were going to explain things later?" Obito asked. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"I just want to talk to the people who have been wanting to see me first, before... before explaining." Ryuusuke said. Obito nodded. 

"Kakashi and Iruka are outside by the way," Obito said with a grin. Ryuusuke rolled his eyes. 

"Impatient leaf ninja," he muttered. Obito laughed as he walked out, Kakashi and Iruka walking in soon afterwards. Iruka went straight to the hug, clutching Ryuusuke close. He released the blond before looking up and down his body, as if he was searching for any wounds. 

"Iruka-sensei, I'm fine." Ryuusuke said with a small smile. Iruka looked up at him. 

"Disappearing for nearly three years, then coming out bleeding to death before being in a coma?! You call that fine?!" Iruka asked. Kakashi looked at Ryuusuke closely. 

"I'm all better now." Ryuusuke retorted. 

"Then you refused to let us and all your friends in!" Iruka continued. Ryuusuke scratched the back of his head absentmindedly. 

"Iruka, let him breathe," Kakashi said calmly. Iruka gave him a small glare, before sighing and giving Ryuusuke some space. 

"I'm sorry for shutting all of you out... I had a lot to think about. I'm going to explain everything later, so please don't ask a lot of questions now. I just... I wanted to see you all before doing that." Ryuusuke explained shortly. Kakashi and Iruka nodded. 

"Well, I'm glad you are ready." Kakashi said and put a hand on Ryuusuke's shoulder. 

\-- 

Ryuusuke had talked to almost everyone, including some of the Rookie Nine, even though Tenten, Neji and Lee also came to visit him. He hadn't known them at all, but Neji wanted to thank him for the incredibly large pole he had had up his ass being pulled out when they fought and Neji lost. Okay, he had not used that wording, but Ryuusuke remembered, and would stand by that way of phrasing it. 

He had talked to Hamako as well, apologizing for his attitude before disappearing, and after returning. In addition, he mentioned that he wanted to hear more about his parents at a later date, if she could tell him. Of course, she had agreed. Which now brought Ryuusuke to the part that he was dreading. The explanation of it all. 

\--- 

Everyone had gathered in a slightly larger room, having being sealed off after everyone had entered with sound proofing seals, Ryuusuke and Gaara's work, in addition to making sure no one could sneak into the room while they were talking. The ones that were here was Obito, Kakashi, Iruka, Hamako, Sakura, Yuki, Eon, Gaara and someone named Jiraiya. Ryuusuke didn't know why Jiraiya wanted to be there, but Obito had reassured him that he should. Ryuusuke didn't exactly want to, but let it slide seeing how the man probably would not leave. 

"...Sorry for the delay," Ryuusuke started. 

"I understand that I owe you all an explanation, which is far overdue. I probably wouldn't have told you this at all, if everything had gone my way. However, someone managed to convince me. Around three years ago, after the chuunin exam. Gaara and myself were forcefully removed from my apartment, and Konoha, by Akatsuki." Ryuusuke began. "I don't know where I was taken, or who took me, and the first thing I remember after being ambushed in Konoha, is waking up in a cave." 

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~ 

Ryuusuke woke up with a gasp. He looked around himself in confusion while trying to figure out where he was, at the same time recollecting the events that had happened. 

"Gaara?" He called out. No response. 

The cave was dark; however, he could shimmer a staircase in front of him, illuminated by what Ryuusuke presumed to be moonlight. The entrance was probably far way, but open. 

"Anyone here?" He tried. However, there was no response. 

Trying to stand up, he found out that each of his arms were chained loosely to the wall. They weren't restricting his movement, but the seal that restricted his chakra were still on, meaning that even if he could have used chakra to break free, he would be unconscious for who knows long. 

"Hello there, Kyuubi." A voice said from beside him. Ryuusuke jumped to the side, falling over as his arms were painfully twisted as the chains stopped them. 

"oh, be careful." The voice said teasingly, before laughing. 

"Who are you?" Ryuusuke asked. The person hummed. 

"My name... well you don't need to know that, little fox." He said, a cruel laugh following. 

"Now see here, I want to play a little game with you..." The man, Ryuusuke now had deduced after listening closely to his voice. 

"I don't want to play your games! I'm going to get out of here. The others will find me!" Ryuusuke said angrily. 

"Will they? After what I saw... you have pushed many people away, Kyuubi." He said. Ryuusuke grit his teeth. 

"I'm not the kyuubi, and they will get me out of here! I know it!" He said. The other man laughed again. 

"Oh well, if you are so sure. There is no door to this cave, if they search for you, they will probably find you. There are no tricks. However, if you try to escape... I'll make sure you'll regret it," The man said, his voice sickeningly sweet. 

"Of course, I will bring you food, Pain-sama need you alive, after all." The man continued before leaving Ryuusuke alone. 

~~~~Flashback end~~~~ 

"I tried shouting, making noise in general, banging the chains together, anything to draw attention to the cave. The man returned every now and then to make sure I didn't die of starvation; however, it was the bare minimum. After a week had passed, I decided to try and break out myself. I used chakra to blast the chains of my wrist, and promptly passed out due to the seal. I woke up after what I presume was a couple of hours, making my way up a roughly made staircase. I got to the top... before I was kicked down. It wasn't that bad, but the lack of proper nourishment didn't exactly help my case." Ryuusuke said before taking a shaky breath. 

"He wasn't happy, that I tried to escape. He decided that attacking me while I was weak was a good way to teach me a lesson, before he chained me up to the wall after knocking me unconscious again. This time, the chains were much shorter, but not completely restricting." Ryuusuke said. 

"I tried to escape fifteen times. Very frequent at first, I counted the days by scratching lines on the wall with a nearby rock. I stopped trying to escape after five weeks. I stopped counting the days after eight. However, he didn't find it especially amusing when I stopped resisting. He... continued with his beating while I was restricted to the wall. I healed, so he didn't really care how badly it got, as long as I didn't die." Ryuusuke said. He avoided looking at the others, firmly holding his own hands and staring at them intensely. 

"After what I later figured out was around two months, I was rescued. Katachi, my current right-hand man, had been carefully following the Akatsuki's movement. He had found Gaara a couple of days after our capture, having intercepted one of the two people who took us. Gaara had told him about the accident, and they had been searching for me since. I was apparently, around the border between the Land of Rain, and Land of Earth." Ryuusuke explained. 

"Katachi intended on bringing me back to Konoha, but... after everything that happened. My treatment by the village, the rift I created in the team during the chuunin exam, the Third's final words, the revelation of my parentage, the capture. I had lost hope of ever having a place in Konoha... and I was furious. I was furious that no one had found me. At the time I didn't know that I had been so far away, I was certain... I was so sure, that none of you cared to search." Ryuusuke said. He wasn't looking at anyone, and tears had started to forcefully run down his cheeks. 

"Katachi, Gaara and I... we figured that this could never happen again. I would never let this happen to any Jinchuuriki. We travelled across the five great nations, found every jinchuuriki, offered them a home. A family. We headed to Uzushio, because we knew no one would go to ruins. When we got there... it was like a voice called me. The seals of the Uzumaki were unrivalled, and they had a backup plan if the village was destroyed. With the collected chakra of the jinchuuriki, we managed to rebuild the village. Not the entirety at first, but when we had already become a group of twenty people, it was time to get some proper housing." Ryuusuke explained. 

"Uzu began to thrive, after a year or so, they elected me as Uzukage, not because I was such a great leader, but because I had brought them together. After this, some people we had picked up along the way went back into the nations, knowing about the necessity of Uzu staying a secret, and travelled. They came back with families, with materials, and soon we managed to get a close fishing village to trade with us under the guise of merchants. Uzushio became a living and thriving village, and after a while, I created the academy, and we began to have our own force. To protect us in case of emergency. The first class graduated just a month before the kage summit, but there were of course people who already were ninja and stuff." Ryuusuke said. He looked up, light shimmering in his eyes. Though the others, having been eased off by his story of Uzu, were still pale and shocked from the larger part of his tale. 

Gaara leaned onto his shoulder, giving him a reassuring him that he had made the right choice. 

"Ryuusuke, I'm so sorry." Obito managed to say. Iruka was holding onto Kakashi, almost looking sick. Eon and Yuki were holding hands, tightly, while Yuki also held Hamako's hand, who looked very shaken. Kakashi was looking away, but Ryuusuke could tell that he felt... regret. Obito looked miserable, and Jiraiya... he looked angry. He looked beyond pissed. Ryuusuke couldn't figure out why, but there was no doubt. 

"I am still... upset. I held onto the belief that all of you had given up on me, and I bet it was because that I was a jinchuuriki. When the summit was called, and everyone was talking about the jinchuuriki's disappearance and their importance, I began to doubt if it was because of my status, or if it simply was because of me." Ryuusuke paused. 

"For some reason, I wanted to continue to believe that you guys simply thought I was the kyuubi and didn't want to search for me, rather than what I presumed was the more likely alternative. That.... that I was just not worth saving." Ryuusuke continued. 

"That's ridiculous." Eon said. Ryuusuke flinched. 

"Ryuusuke, I know that we had our problems, but if you just would have talked – explained what was going on!" Yuki started. The two of them hurried to his side. 

"We're a team, and a team is like a family, remember?" Yuki said. Ryuusuke chuckled. 

"You reminded me of that when Pain attacked Uzu," Ryuusuke said. Eon nodded. 

"That's right, and hell need to freeze before we give up on you," Eon said. Hamako grabbed Ryuusuke's hand as she sat down in front of him. 

"I'm so sorry I wasn't a better aunt," she said. Ryuusuke shook his head. 

"I should have listened to you properly when you told me," he said. 

Kakashi, Obito and Iruka stood behind them, showing their support without saying anything. Ryuusuke laughed as tears suddenly started to flow freely from his eyes. 

"I'm such an idiot," he said. 

"Yeah, you are." Eon and Yuki said and laughed.


	12. That time they had to babysit

After a  little while of the ones in  the room asking Ryuusuke a  couple of questions, not major  ones ,  but some general  details they wondered about, they started to filter out.  Ryuusuke was to be released from the hospital later that day, luckily for him, and Eon had quickly lent out her spare room for him and  Gaara , seeing how  Ryuusuke's apartment had been sold and his items put in a warehouse somewhere. 

Of course,  Ryuusuke had been a bit hesitant, but  Gaara thanked Eon for her hospitality before he could say anything.  In addition to that, he and  Obito had agreed to talk closer about  Uzu's refugees and how to deal with the situation. 

But now they had to return back to their duties, and it was getting pretty late.  Ryuusuke remained in the hospital of course, having to be in his hospital room until discharge.  Gaara was off to help Eon get the room ready, and  Ryuusuke was left alone with his thoughts. Or so he thought.

Jiraiya , the elderly man that had decided to listen into  Ryuusuke's story, knocked on his door not soon after  Gaara had left. 

"Hey there," he said. His voice was a bit nervous, and  Ryuusuke could see that he still held some of the frustration he had had earlier when  Ryuusuke finished his story.

" Jiraiya ?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Jiraiya nodded. 

" …I need to apologize to you, and explain a few things for you."  Jiraiya said. He took a deep breath.

"Okay?"  Ryuusuke asked, sitting up in the bed he had been laying on, resting. 

"I was your father's, Minato's, teacher."  Jiraiya said. "And was very close to him and  Kushina ."  Jiraiya continued.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"I'm currently Konoha's spymaster, and very often out on trips. I'm nearly never in town, this being the first time in two years, and prior to that I was gone for around 9 years."  Jiraiya continued to explain.

"I probably should have been a more active person in your life, I'm... sorry for that," He said.  Ryuusuke looked to the floor.

"I suppose your another of my supposed family members,"  Ryuusuke said.  Jiraiya sighed.

"I'm your godfather."  Jiraiya said.  Ryuusuke took a shaky breath.

"When Minato died, I was  devastated . Regardless, intent on taking care of you as I swore to your parents. However, with your status as a  jinchuuriki and the Third's wish for you to have a normal and safe childhood, and how he wanted your connection to Minato to be as small as possible, he told me no. He told me that my duty as spymaster was more important and that you would be properly taken care of. I went in and out of the village around two  years' time , just to check up on you when you were still a baby to toddler. Made sure you had enough to live and stuff, you have quite the bank account here, you know. It was supposed to be given to you when you made  chuunin , but seeing the events that happened..."  Jiraiya paused.

"Anyway, I left for a long trip after that, seeing how everything was fine then when I  regularly checked up on you. I didn't know that was what kept your care to be good. I was gone for nine years, trying to figure out what happened at the night of your birth, and came back in time for the  chuunin exam final, when I got a letter about you competing. I got regular  check- up letters from the Third, after he had checked up on you every once a while. I thought things were fine, but when I came to the village... things had apparently gone awry. Kakashi told me that you needed time to sort out your feelings, and that my sudden  appearance might make it worse. I thought I could talk to you afterwards, but then  Orochimaru happened, and the Third's death. I had to find  Tsunade , and I thought I could bring you with me... but then you were gone."  Jiraiya leaned onto a wall.

"I was supposed to take care of you, and I failed in so many ways."  Jiraiya said.  Ryuusuke didn't say anything. The blond stood up quietly, walked over to  Jiraiya and stood in front of him. He didn't move.

"I'm used to not being taken care of. I wish  you could have taken contact with me anonymously, anything really. But... the past is in the past, I know that now. I... I'm still struggling with accepting all of it, and while if you had come with that a day ago I would have promptly thrown you out... I want to know you."  Ryuusuke said, he looked up to meet  Jiraiya's gaze.

"I want to fix the things I broke, and the regrets I have."  Ryuusuke said.  Jiraiya smiled, brought a hand to  Ryuusuke's head and ruffled his hair affectionately. 

"You have plenty of time, and seeing how Akatsuki is still a threat, it's my duty as your Godfather, and as your father's teacher, to pass my techniques to you. If you want that."  Jiraiya said.  Ryuusuke grinned.

"I would love to," he said. 

~~

Ryuusuke got released from the hospital not  long after his talk with  Jiraiya , and was had a strong feeling of  nostal gia as he walked down the streets of Konoha. Most civilians didn't even recognise him, but some of the older generation was whispering stuff about the  Fourth hokage , and it did make  Ryuusuke a little smug. He wasn't exactly a pariah anymore.

Heading to the Nara compound, he was greeted by  Shikamaru , who had just come home apparently.  Shikamaru stared at him, slightly in shocked.

" Ryuusuke ?" He asked.  Ryuusuke gave  an awkward nod in reply.

"You've gotten taller,"  Shikamaru commented.  Ryuusuke scoffed.

"That's your observation?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Shikamaru laughed.

"It was the most obvious one, I learned of your return a little while back. Your looks  were the one thing I didn't know exactly. Anyway, I'll get the Konoha 12 together at a later point, make sure you're there."  Shikamaru said as he walked away.

"Sure,"  Ryuusuke responded after a second of thought. He then continued to Eon's apartment. When he got in,  mattre sses and  pillows had been stacked in the living room, snacks filling the table with Eon going back and forth getting more of it. Yuki was talking happily with  Gaara , exchanging stories by the looks of it, on the couch.

"Hey?"  Ryuusuke said as he entered. Yuki turned to him with a grin.

" Ryuusuke ! You're finally out of the hospital! Come, we have snacks!" Yuki said happily.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"You have such a  sweet tooth ,"  Ryuusuke commented. Yuki shrugged as she grabbed a muffin from the table.

"I like baking," she responded. 

Ryuusuke sat down on a  mattre ss , feeling a strange sensation of calm. He had been away for so long, and he had been so  aw ful to his team during the  chuunin exam, yet here they were, acting like they had been together perfectly the entire time. 

"Welcome home," Eon commented with a smirk as she put the last tray of cookies on the table.

"I'm glad to be back,"  Ryuusuke said.

"Though we have to return to  Uzu at some point,"  Gaara commented.  Ryuusuke shrugged. 

"I mean we could just put up that seal, and make it run on storage chakra with the  rechargeable seals once the village up and running again."  Ryuusuke commented.  Gaara nodded.

"That might be smart, considering the last time we shut of the village. Everyone knows about it now, so we better get prepared. Remember, you still have to talk to the  mizukage at some point, seeing how we had some  scruffles when they went around our borders."  Gaara commented.  Ryuusuke groaned.

"Teen on vacation in Konoha first,  Kage of  Uzu later tomorrow."  Ryuusuke said.  Gaara laughed.

"I still can't believe they elected you as  Uzukage ," Eon teased.  Ryuusuke puffed out his chest.

"I am a terrible leader with a lot of pride and a refusal to give up, and when there is no conflict it usually works out okay, and I have  great organizers and helpers."  Ryuusuke responded, punching  Gaara lightly on the shoulder at the end. 

" Ryuusuke have actually been a great leader,  Ita \-  Katachi and I  bearly had to do anything, the village truly needed  Ryuusuke's leadership to unite."  Gaara said.  Ryuusuke smiled proudly. 

" riiiiight ..." Eon said as she grabbed a cookie. 

"Come on Eon, we both know  Ryuusuke's adaption to situations is amazing." Yuki said with a chuckle. Eon shrugged with a smile. 

"Right, but now  it's  time to tell  Gaara all about our times as  genin ," Yuki said with a grin.  Ryuusuke groaned loudly as he dramatically fell backwards.

~~~Flashback~~~~

Ryuusuke , Eon and Yuki  were standing in front of the mission desk, once again ready for another D-ranked mission.

"You are going to help watch some kids today, triplets up in a farm outside Konoha." Iruka said with a smile as he gave the mission  scroll to Kakashi.  Ryuusuke groaned loudly.

"Not children," he said. Eon shoved an elbow into his side. 

"Behave yourself in front of the  Hokage ," She said. Yuki  chuckled .

"Says the one who accidentally called a civilian useless to his face," She commented.

"That was one time, and it wasn't a lie, he just wasn't supposed to hear it." Eon relied dismissively.

"Let's go,"  Obito said as he started to usher them out of the room. 

The walk to the farm wasn't long, and the  genin found themselves staring at three young children, incidentally two girls and a boy. 

"One each  primarily ?" Eon asked. Yuki and  Ryuusuke nodded. Kakashi and  Obito had abandoned them for the trees, not intending on helping out at all as they watched their  genins suffer through D-ranks.

And  so, they  wen t to work, and they had their work cut out for them.

-

It was quite amusing really. Eon had quickly discovered that the youngest of the triplets she had been straddled with was... energic. Very energic. 

In the beginning it had simply been watching her run around, but later she had been dragged into playing with the kid as well. And then, after taking a short breather, the child had  ru n off screaming;

"Hide and seek" before disappearing into the field. With tall grass.

Yuki had not had much more luck. The child she had been watching was much more silent, as much as the kid was much  keener on trying its best to hide away from Yuki.  Occas ionally , the kid would pop up to try and scare her. 

It hadn't been very bad at first, Yuki was a ninja after  all. But  the kid had then decided to follow her younger sister, right into the field. Yuki went over to Eon's side, the two of them staring blankly at the parted grass that  was  slowly  coming back together.

Ryuusuke had never liked children. Never gotten along with children. And the kid he had been ordered to watch was very enthusiastic on asking him questions. About everything. The younger of the two males had latched himself on  Ryuusuke's leg, asking questions about being a ninja, where he lived, what he was doing, what techniques he knew, what missions he had  done and so on.

So  Ryuusuke , being  the kind person he was. Kindly asked the kid to let go of him.

"Piss off, runt." He said  loudly and shook the kid of his leg. The  kid flinched and  let go quickly. Scurrying away to create a distance between him and  Ryuusuke .  Ryuusuke stared at him blankly, before sighing.

"Go play with your siblings or something."  Ryuusuke said. The younger boy stared at him.

"You're an ass." The kid stated before running off. 

Ryuusuke sighed again, he wouldn't neglect his duty of course. He followed the kid from a distance, making  sure he didn't hurt himself. However, when he noticed that the kid was running towards Eon and Yuki, who were both chatting together seriously as they eyed the grass field carefully, he felt a pang of urgency. Hurrying ahead, he got ready to call the kid back to him when the boy sprinted into the field.

"What the hell?"  Ryuusuke said loudly as he stopped next to Eon and Yuki.

"All of the children disappeared into the field," Eon stated. Yuki gave a concerned, yet affirmative nod.

"And you're just standing her?"  Ryuusuke asked. Eon shook her head.

"The kids have a tendency to try and hide themselves, hide and seek or  whatever. We need to find an effective plan to make sure they don't run into the river than is in  the middle of the field, or the badly fenced in creek that borders this farm with another." Eon explained.  Ryuusuke looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"They're children." He said.

"Very energic, keen on hiding and unafraid of danger, children." Eon corrected.  Ryuusuke groaned.

"Shadow clone  jutsu ." He drawled as he formed the  hand  signs . Ten clones  p opp ed up around him.

"They will surround the field and make their way to the middle. We should enter from here in a ten minutes time."  Ryuusuke said. Yuki hummed.

"It's  gonna rain soon," she said.  Ryuusuke stifled another groan. 

"We better hurry up then," Eon said and ran into the field,  Ryuusuke and Yuki following closely. 

The tall grass made it difficult to navigate. However, the children weren't always quiet. Movement in the grass, a muffled giggle. There was a trail to follow, however Yuki couldn't help but to feel like they  were all walking in circle. 

"One of my clones spotted one of the kids, followed her before crashing into another clone. I think they know."  Ryuusuke said as memories of the clone filled in. 

"weren’t they like five?" Yuki asked uncertain.

"They're creative at least,"  Ryuusuke muttered.

Rain started to fall from the sky,  gre y clouds covering the formerly blue sky. It was quickly discovered by the three  genin that the ground underneath them turned into slick mud much sooner than they would want to. When this happened, they  were under attack.

Clumps of mud and  sliding, much more than the three they originally had been watching, ran at them from different directions.  Ryuusuke was toppled over by around five kids, thrown into the ground as he was quickly covered by a wave of mud. 

" Ryuusuke !" Yuki exclaimed as she headed towards him, only to be buried underneath another wave of kids. 

"Where did they come  front ?" Eon asked as she looked around her, ten kids surrounding her at all sides, ready to attack.

"We are an army! Give up now and  we  will grant you mercy!" One of the kids said dramatically. Eon raised an eyebrow.

"Eon – don't!"  Ryuusuke shouted from underneath the pile of kids.

"I have to," Eon said as she faced them. She slid on foot behind her, being careful not to set the kids off. She took a deep breath.

Using chakra in her leg, she spun around with her leg still on the ground, creating a wave of mud that flew at all the kids around her, splattering them with mud.  Some of the  child ren fell back dramatically while the som e  others  slid over to  clutch their 'lifeless' body. 

Eon looked at  Ryuusuke , who was staring back at her in confusion. Eon whipped her head around to look at Yuki, who nodded immediately.  Ryuusuke 's eyes widened in realization. 

"Oh  n o ," he said dramatically. "You have defeated me!" Some of the children giggled as he pretended to pass out.

"Bury the villain!" One of the children screamed as those who had been on top of  Ryuusuke scurried off, leaving three children with massive clumps of dirt in their hands.  Ryuusuke opened an eye to look at Yuki, who nodded solemnly.  Ryuusuke took a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly as he prepared himself for the final blow.

A wall of mud slammed down upon him, completely drenching him. 

Eon was about to head to help Yuki when a loud, booming thunder ripped through the skies. Some of the children screamed in fright as they huddled together.  Ryuusuke sat up quickly, understanding that game time was over.

Eon headed over to some of the young girls, talking calmly to them. Yuki quickly comforted some other kids, asking them quietly where they lived.  Ryuusuke pressed his lips together, kids had never been his strong point. One of the kids that had drenched him in mud pulled at his shirt.

"Can we go home?" He asked quietly.  Ryuusuke stared at him.

"I have an idea,"  Ryuusuke said with a grin. 

Ryuusuke had always known that having an apartment in the absolute poorest part of Konoha would come to his benefit. It wasn't a benefit that it was a poor building or apartment, but that  it was at the edge of Konoha. Dragging along a fifteen kids through the area and getting them to the apartment was no biggie.  Ryuusuke quickly got the shower running, making the children get out of their dirty clothes before getting all of them cleaned up. Of course Eon and Yuki handled the girls, but other than that they were  soon all clean. 

However, the thunderstorm were still holding on to them, and  Ryuusuke had just about given all his  tshirts out while their own clothes were still drying. Of course, he, Yuki and Eon also had to take a shower, seeing how most of them (not really Eon) was covered in mud as well.  Ryuusuke especially.

Yuki and Eon focused on being comforting, providing that they thought the children would hear. While  Ryuusuke kept back. He had moved all his training equipment into his room so that the kids  could be in the training room and  living room.  Ryuusuke pursed his lips, thinking.

"Yuki, I think I have some simple baking stuff in the cabinet, from some time I thought I wanted some cookies or something."  Ryuusuke said. Yuki gave him a wide smile before hurrying into the kitchen.

Ryuusuke hummed as he looked over their children. This was supposed to be a simple 'watch three kids' mission, but considering that it would be bad on their part to send the rest of them home, covered in mud, this was the best option.

"Hey, want me to show you guys a trick?"  Ryuusuke asked. Some of the kids gathered around him.  Ryuusuke gave a small grin as he made a small puff of sparks with lightning nature chakra. The kids stared at him with wide eyes.

" Wooah , what  jutsu was that?" One of them asked.  Ryuusuke scoffed dramatically, adding a laugh for  good measure.

"That's not a  jutsu ! It's just how awesome I am," he said, over dramatically laughing.

"However, you should see Eon's  jutsu ..." He whispered. The kids turned to look at Eon, waiting for some sort of show. Eon mockingly glared at  Ryuusuke as she brought her hand up into a hand sign. Her shadow rose up from underneath her, the kids staring in awe as it moved towards  Ryuusuke , before connecting. Eon sat down in the couch,  Ryuusuke following her movement, but ended up squatting instead.

"How do you do that?" One of the kids asked  excited ly as he climbed up on  Ryuusuke's lap.  Ryuusuke felt his legs shiver beneath him.

"It's a family secret," Eon said as she made a hush sign. The kid returned her small smile with a hush sign as well, giggling. 

"Okay, Eon, let me breathe -"  Ryuusuke huffed out. Eon released the  jutsu , and  Ryuusuke fell to the ground ungracefully with the kid on top of him. 

Ryuusuke grinned, he brought his hands up in a hand sign and created one clone, gaining the attention and several awes from the kids around. 

The clone transformed silently into a coin, but seemingly disappeared to the kids. He twirled the coin around into his other hand.

"Nah, the  jutsu can't stay for long, however, I do know another trick."  Ryuusuke said. The kids cocked their heads in confusion.  Ryuusuke gave the coin clone to one of the kids.

"When I count to three, the coin will disappear."  Ryuusuke said with a smirk. The kids looked at the coin intensely.

"One... two... three!"  Ryuusuke said overly excited, and the coin disappeared. One of the kids laughed hysterically, the others following soon after.

After several sorts of interactions like this, the cookies Yuki created along with a  coupple of young girls were ready, and they all munched happily as they chatted about different things, mostly  Ryuusuke telling some of the boys about the more exciting parts of missions, and Eon motivating the kids to work hard in their studies. 

After a while, the thunderstorm had passed, and  Ryuusuke , Eon and Yuki followed the kids home one after one. They ended up at the triplets' farm after a while, coming to meet with a seriously confused and slightly worried pair of  jonin sensei.

"Sorry, we needed cookies."  Ryuusuke said lamely. The three younger kids grinned, while Eon and Yuki groaned.

" Ryuusuke , we need to work on your excuses."  Obito said, in all seriousness.

"This calls for another week of D-ranks and intense training!" Kakashi chirped as he and  Obito looked at their  genin . 

"Kaoru, Maki, Hana!" A woman's voice called from the front of the house.

"Momma!" Exclaimed the kids as they sprinted to the front of the house.

Kakashi,  Obito and their  genin followed soon after, a woman with three large bags holding around the triplets.

"Thank you for watching them, I hope they weren't too much trouble." She said. The  jonin shook their head.

"Konoha's  genin are always at service in these kind of situations," Kakashi said happily.

"I might need a watch again later this week, perhaps I'll ask for another D-rank." The woman said softly.

-

"Goodbye ninja!" The kids shouted after team 5 as they left to report in their mission.

~~~Flashback end~~~~

"It was the longest wash of clothing and house I had done in years,"  Ryuusuke commented dryly.

"You're strangely good with kids though,  Ryuusuke ."  Gaara commented.  Ryuusuke elbowed him lightly.

"I mean, Aki and  Tsuru were mostly your apprentices."  Gaara added.

"I trained them occasionally, seeing how they both wanted to learn  kenjutsu while applying chakra, rather than  Zabuza's great sword style and Bee's rapping having to teach them."  Ryuusuke countered.

"I suppose you've worked more on your  kenjutsu , how did you even get the  Tsubito ? I'm certain it wasn't with you when you were... taken, from the village." Eon said.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"I had a friend of mine fetch it for me, along with several of my scrolls."  Ryuusuke said. "It was after my belongings had been put into storage, so no one noticed if something were gone." He  continued.

"much for just one sword,"  Gaara teased.

"I'm slightly sentimental."  Ryuusuke said, faking an extremely posh voice. 

"Only slightly," Yuki teased.  Ryuusuke grabbed his chest in fake pain.

"The betrayal," he moaned  jokingly.

"You're such a softy," Eon  commented dryly.

"You know what, that's it."  Ryuusuke said and stood up. He marched to the couch before grabbing a pillow.

"This means war." He said. Eon and Yuki looked up him with determined eyes.

"You're on!"


	13. Ryuusuke gets a roommate

Ryuusuke got summoned to  the  hokage's office, to his own disappointment. Of course, when he woke up none of the others  were, seeing how late they had all been up. However, when  Ryuusuke heard the calling he woke up quite fast. Intending on not waking the  rest of them, he grabbed a  t-shirt he got to borrow from Eon. His clothes had been... slightly pierced and bloody after all.

He headed out of Eon's place quietly, breathing in the cold  crisp air. Winter was just around the corner, which was less than preferable. Luckily, Konoha had very mild winters, and they didn't last for long.  Uzu's winter wasn't exactly  _ winter _ either, but rather a  drop in temperature, and perhaps some frosting on the grass during night. It usually was pretty warm in the day regardless.

He walked down the streets towards the  Hokage tower, unable to help himself as he recollected memories from his early childhood to  genin times, a fond smile decorating his lips. He found it strange, how easy it  was for him to accept this village back into his life after all that had happened, however he was glad it was.

The tower hadn't changed, other than a slight difference in staff. He headed over to the reception where a younger woman was standing, probably filing the  hokage's meetings for the day to make sure that everything went smoothly.

"I'm supposed to meet with the  Hokage now,"  Ryuusuke stated as he got her attention. She looked at him, as if she was trying to remember something.

"Name?" She asked.  Ryuusuke hesitated, before breathing out carefully.

" Namikaze Ryuusuke ," he said. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're -" 

"yeah."

"You di-"

"Yup."

"But -"

"Can I see the  Hokage or not?"  Ryuusuke asked. The woman nodded, taken aback.  Ryuusuke sighed before heading up towards the office. He took a deep breath as he got to the door, knocking firmly.

"Come in,"  Obito's voice called from the other side.  Ryuusuke opened the door and stepped inside.

" Ahh ,  Uzukage ."  Obito teased. " Finally, time to discuss your situation,  correct ?"  Obito asked.  Ryuusuke gave an affirmative nod.

"As you may know, Pain attacked my village. It was completely levelled to the  ground, however our losses were minimal and while I haven't gotten the exact number,  Gaara reported that almost all civilians are accounted for. I figured that when Pain  attacked before completely making a crater out of my village, some tried to fight back. Admirable, but stupid. They got evacuated as soon as I got word of Akatsuki's arrival. Now, they're on their way here and possibly to Kiri, however I think that my  jonin decided to go as one whole group until I came back. I'm quite certain they are all headed here."  Ryuusuke explained.  Obito nodded sagely.

"I will get tents ready for them, I would have made houses, but considering that it's a temporary stay  we  shouldn't set up permanent housings. It will be a prioritized D-rank with a slight bit more pay than usual, that should motivate the  genin ."  Obito said.  Ryuusuke gave a short nod.

"Thank you," he said. 

" I t ' s no problem. Regardless of that, I'm sure you aren't intending on staying in Konoha. How long do you presume to be here?"  Obito asked. 

"Considering that my wounds are coming along nicely, all I need is for my people to arrive her and settle in, before me and a smaller team will head back to  Uzushio to rebuild the city. I'd say around a month's time before we will be able to return."  Ryuusuke replied.

"And the war?"  Obito asked.  Ryuusuke looked to the ground.

" Uzu doesn't have much manpower, and the  jinchuuriki's are the main targets for Akatsuki. I'd like to support you, but there is such a high risk."  Ryuusuke started to say.

"However, as you might have figured,  Uzu is  harbouring all the  jinchuuriki . But most of our forces are ex-ninja, retired, former missing  nin given a new chance, they won't easily bend to the Allied Shinobi Forces I've heard  rumours about. Though I understand the necessity for unison of the great nations in this war." He continued before he took a deep breath.

"I will get my  jonin to push for  genin and  chuunin's development. I will get the  jinchuuriki to work on control, so we won't have any loose cards. If they are ready, I will send out our forces. For now, I have another proposition."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito raised an eyebrow.

" Uzugakure's defence was disabled  when  Akatsuki entered, due to my little  genin running off to your  kage summit. However, if it's activated it is almost impossible to get in, and it's powered by  jinchuuriki , so it will not likely run out in an  em ergency . If Akatsuki is fighting in this war, their forces will be scattered. I have a transportation seal that can be used to transport humans and supplies between a set  distance . I can set up a seal here, and in  Uzu ."  Ryuusuke said.

"It would be easier to secure supplies..."  Obito stated.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"The war will most likely be in the centre, we have some other of these seals, however it's a much shorter reach. We would be able to  deli ver supplies to a nearby fishing village, where the Shinobi forces could transfer them further on. Akatsuki would most likely not be able to follow the randomness between where the transport came from, seeing how they would go through Konoha and a random village."  Ryuusuke explained.

"We could also store supplies we need in case of an emergency."  Obito said with a bit more enthusiasm. 

"In addition, I would propose a... training program."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito raised another eyebrow.

"As I said,  Uzushio's defences would be  impenetrable . If Konoha and  Uzushio's lower ranked ninja are both put under high pressured training from my higher ranked ninja, who would also focus on protecting Konoha and training the  genin and  chuunin , we could not only increase their level, but also the defences to the civilians, and hopefully create a cavalry of high ranked  chuunin , who could have been promoted to  jonin within the time."  Ryuusuke explained.

"We have no idea how long the war will go on,  so training  rigorously could be our ace card, in other wars most of the forces are out in the field, and while some stay back to train the  genin , it would  diminish one side over the other. But if  Uzushio deals with the training..."  Ryuusuke continued.

"We would have the rest of the shinobi nations on the battlefield at all times."  Obito concluded. "If I get the other nations to agree to this, we could train all  genin and fresh  chuunin , in addition we could spare a couple of  jonin from each village for coverage."  Obito said.  Ryuusuke nodded with a grin.

" Uzushio might not be on the battlefield yet, but it will damn well support you guys." 

\---

Preparations for  Uzushio's citizens' arrival went quickly and effectively. Putting up tents  became one of the most common D-ranks that week. It was a drag for the  genin , of course, but  Ryuusuke was grateful. Some of the payment even came from his own wallet, and though it was mostly because the money he had inherited from his parents and gotten from  Jiraiya was a... very  generous amount. 

Eon and Yuki had to join in the preparation for the war, like gathering resources and managing supplies.  Ryuusuke however, was stuck in a constant debate with the council and how to manage the training program for the  genin .

It was mostly the civilians that were a problem, they didn't understand how the war would affect their children in the academy, and it was becoming a small problem.

Konoha's  genin success rate was around thirty percent, and in war- time that is way too low.  Ryuusuke suggested moving the academy with the  genin , taking them all under a short, but effective, training regimen.  Of course, this would go for the  Uzu academy as well. The  jonin part of the council agreed, finding it a good solution for effective training. Albeit their slight uncertainty towards  Uzu's teachers, who they knew nothing about.

To fix that problem,  Ryuusuke suggested that some of the academy teachers joined, that they could supervise the teaching if they doubted them so much. 

Yet, the civilian part of the council  was not convinced, but mostly due to their fright for losing their children in the war. Understandable, but  nonetheless irrelevant. Konoha needed a  higher calibre ninja, and the moment the children entered the academy they were on their way to become ninja.  before, the only way that the academy students would not leave, was if they quit the academy. 

but that  wasn't an option anymore. 

Obito had to remind the civilians that this was war, and that every child had no choice but to enter the academy. If they failed graduation, they were let go. There was no opportunity. In previous wars, the academy students had been staying home, but  Obito assured them that if anything, it was safer for them to leave.

This debate went on for hours, and  Ryuusuke didn't make it back to Eon's apartment before midnight, easily falling down on the couch in exhaustion.

"Rough day?" A female voice spoke up from the kitchen.  Ryuusuke spun around, surprisingly enough coming face to face  with one of his pink haired teammates.

"Sakura?"  Ryuusuke asked as he sat up.

"Eon let me in earlier, told me that she was leaving on a mission and that you had from zero to no idea on how to work the kitchen." Sakura said as she walked over to the couch.

"I know how to make the basic stuff..."  Ryuusuke mumbled as he made space for Sakura on the couch.

"That won't last for the next week, and neither me or Eon will let you bother Yoshino or  Shikaku about it.  Hamako and Yuki are also both busy with missions, so you can't be there.  Gaara is going back and forth with the  Hokage as of late, he's considering going to  Suna to visit his family, if you didn't notice between your own meetings." Sakura said as she sat down next to him.

"He mentioned it, he wants to clear things up, get that missing status of his back."  Ryuusuke said with a sigh. 

" Fall-out from paradise?" Sakura asked.  Ryuusuke shrugged.

"We've both been busy, me especially.  Gaara wanted to visit his family, there's nothing more to it."  Ryuusuke said with a huff. Sakura smiled softly.

"Well, I'm going to be your roomie until Eon comes back, so don't worry about feeling lonely. Gosh, I thank the gods for her letting me stay here, I'll take any chance to get a break from my parents." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke shifted in his seat.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said after a moment of realization.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

"It's fine," he replied. "I... I have strangely enough come to terms with the kind of inequality I felt as a child."  Ryuusuke said.

"I never knew you as the  eloquent one." Sakura teased.  Ryuusuke punched her lightly on the shoulder.

"You might've heard, but when Pain attacked  Uzu ... the  kyuubi ," Sakura brought a hand to  Ryuusuke's arm, squeezing reassuringly.

"I know," she said. 

"I was about to set it free."  Ryuusuke started to explain, a bittersweet  expression on his face. Sakura remained quiet as she watched him.

"My father, he had set up a  fail-safe in the seal, if anything would make me go ballistic, he would come and save me."  Ryuusuke continued. "For all those years that I envied the other children and their parents, for all that time I spent in hatred and  jealousy ... he just... managed to save me from it. Had I not thought back on his words as I spoke with Yuki, Eon and everybody later... somehow just about ten m inutes with him, and I feel like I could hold the world for a moment."  Ryuusuke said with a smile. Sakura grabbed his hand.  Ryuusuke glanced at her, slightly uncertain.

"A  parent's love can never truly be understood, unless you are a parent yourself. Yet, I believe for someone who had been alone for so long, to actually find someone who loves them as much as a parent does..." Sakura mused.

" Indescribable ,"  Ryuusuke whispered. Sakura smiled. 

"Right," she replied in a whisper.

"I should make some food," Sakura said as she started to stand up slowly.  Ryuusuke grabbed her hand.

"Could we stay like this? Just for a second," he asked her. She gave him a soft smile, before nodding and shifting back into a comfortable position.

"Sure,"

\-------

The people of  Uzu arrived not many days later. The civilians were exhausted, and the shinobi weren't exactly better off. Konoha's own shinobi were quick to  address their needs while  Ryuusuke went on to gather his council and get them ready to meet with  Obito and Konoha's council -  shinobi council.

Itachi , known as  Katachi during their stay in Konoha, had unfortunately been asked to stay with the civilians until Ryuusuke could clear things up with  Obito , after all,  Obito was another survivor of the Uchiha massacre. Ryuusuke had no idea how he would take it .

Other than that,  Gaara , Bee,  Yugito , Roshi and  Zabuza followed him into the council chambers,  Zabuza having been stripped of all his weapons and chakra sealed, due for 'safety measures' on Konoha's side.  Ryuusuke knew better than to argue, they were  harbouring their people without really asking of anything in return.

Ryuusuke was given a chair on the opposite side of  Obito , showing their equality in political power. Their councilmen  were filling the rest of the chairs between them, clan heads and  Ryuusuke's five advisors.

"Right, welcome everyone, "  Obito started. "Especially our visitors from  Uzugakure . This meeting is hopefully not going to be so long, but there  is basic  information we need to go over to discuss the agreements between me and the  Uzukage ."  Obito explained.

" Uzugakure would first like to thank the  Hokage for the  hospitality . Our people were in desperate needs for shelter."  Ryuusuke stated politely.  Obito nodded.

"There is a war coming, and the Allied Shinobi Forces has been created to fight Akatsuki and the masked man. From what we've seen of their latest exploits, it is easy to say that we need full forces, and with that masked man... well, it's easy to say our resources will be scattered."  Obito said.

"Resources has always been a concern in war times, in addition to how we are to make sure our academy students can graduate, our  genin to be capable, as soon as possible so that we have more forces on the field. These concerns are being answered with a cooperation with  Uzushio ."  Obito continued.

"This will mostly happen through one of  Uzu's seals, a large  transportation seal which can  transport people and material over a certain distance via a  transmitter and  receiver seal.  Uzushio's defences, when activated, is  unrivaled . It took the combined forces of  Iwa and Kumo to destroy it the first time, but now we have the collected power of the  jinchuuriki to power it. It made us  unnoticeable for the past two years."  Ryuusuke explained. 

"By storing most of our resources in  Uzushio's defence, we can transfer them to nearby villages of  Uzushio via minor transportation seals, this will prove it difficult for our enemies to stop the flow of supplies needed for the war. In addition, prove to be a safe place for our academy students and  genin to train."  Obito stated.

"Why would they not be able to train here?"  Akimichi Chouza asked.

"It's simply because we need our skilled ninja in the field, which leaves low level  chuunin and  genin left, and they aren't capable of teaching, because they have much left to learn. However,  Uzushio is not participating on the front line, due to their current state. However, their ninja, while not many, are skilled and more than capable of teaching their own and our  genin during war time, to get them out in the field as soon as possible."  Obito said.

"But  they' re kids, should they not be spared from the war as much as possible?" Yamanaka  Inoichi asked.

"I would've wished so, but we can't take any chances. We have no idea how long this war will last, and while their training and the seriousness of the situation would be brought onto them, they wouldn't actually be let on the battlefield until deemed ready."  Obito stated.

"I can say for certain that there would be no chances taken on when the kids would be sent out, unless the  Hokage specifically ordered me to send his  genin out. However, as long as they are academy  children they fall under the rule of the  Fire lord. Unless the rules are changed, they will not be entering the battlefield before graduation, no matter what."  Ryuusuke said.

"However, now that we are in war time, all children have a mandatory obligation to enter the academy. Early graduation is also permitted again, and a set test will be created soon that can be taken by the  genin whenever they wish for it, though it goes to say that both me and the  Uzukage have agreed to take up the standards of the test, to make sure that they are ready both physically and mentally to face war, as well as you can be prepared anyway."  Obito added.

" So, we are to trust  Uzushio blindly?" Nara  Shikaku asked.

" Uzushio has always been a sister city to Konoha, and  it s destruction took a heavy toll on both us, and the survivors. However,  Uzushio has agreed to bring in our academy  instructor s , who will monitor the training for how long they wish, in addition have a say in how things should be done.  Ryuusuke , the  Uzukage , is also my student, and I would trust him with my life."  Obito stated.  Ryuusuke looked at  Obito , slightly surprised by the statement. He met  Obito's gaze, the older man nodded confidently.  Ryuusuke smiled in reply.

"We do not need  Uzu's help," a new voice said as the door opened.

" Danzo ,"  Obito adressed , his mood changing suddenly.  Ryuusuke turned to face the man carefully.  Danzo was an old man, dressed somewhat formally, with bandages covering parts of his face. 

"Konoha is more than capable of handling its own."  Danzo said.

"This is not a matter of being capable, but what is the best use of our resources."  Obito stated.

"And have all our resources in another village? It's absurd and foolish."  Danzo countered.

"We will always have direct access to  Uzushio ."  Obito stated calmly. 

"Which they can  dis rupt at a moment's notice, I know of  Uzu's sealing capabilities, they will always be able to shut down a seal."  Danzo said.

"We are in an alliance between the great nations, we have to trust each other."  Obito replied.

"Trust means nothing, we both know that even the most  loyal of people can turn on their closest in a blink of an eye."  Danzo said.  Obito looked to the table.

"What happened to my family was a terrible event, however it should not determine how we treat our allies."  Obito said.

"It's just a-"

"This is not up for debate  Danzo . As I said to you a long time ago, your council is no longer needed. Both you, Koharu and  Homura are way past your time, and I have no need of your war experience unless I ask for it myself, and if so I will ask for you. Do not ever, come invited into my meeting again."  Obito said as he stood up harshly, staring down the older man  intesily .  Danzo stared back.

"I understand."  Danzo said  stiffely as he left the room.  Obito sat down in his chair with a long sigh.

"I apologize. Are there any further questions or objections on this subject?"  Obito asked. The room remained silent.

"Now then, for  Uzushio's stay here."  Obito started.

"Your civilians are free to roam the city as they please, and children are allowed to participate in the academy if they take a small test to see what kind of class we should place them in. The  genin can request to participate in D-ranked missions, however most of the payment will go to Konoha, but they will still gain the kind of payment our own  genin would  receive .  Chuunin and  Jonin will be requested to help in simple preparation for the war, as gathering materials, checking equipment and so on. They don't have to, but it would be highly appreciated. You will be supplied with meals three times a day, which will be handed out in a tent which will be appropriately marked. There are premade meals for every person, so we have nothing more to spare. Meaning one meal per person."  Obito explained.

"If there are any further question, the  Uzukage and I have gone over the details and he will have the  possibility to further explain to everyone if they wish to. In addition, we have reserved five training grounds for  Uzu's disposal, and would appreciate if you kept your training to those areas. They will of course be monitored by ANBU, to make sure that there are no one who would dare to defy Konoha, or the  Uzukage's wish."  Obito finished.  Ryuusuke gave an affirming nod.

" Uzushio's stay here will be around two months, after estimating it more closely. If  anything happens, I will  personally handle it, "  Obito stated. "Any questions?"

The room remained quiet once again.  Obito smiled.

"Great,  y ou're all dismissed. "  Obito said.  Ryuusuke nodded to his  jonin , only  Zabuza remaining longer than the rest of them, making sure that they saw that he would not hesitate to act if anything happened to the  Uzukage . After they all had left,  Ryuusuke and  Obito made their way to  Obito's office.

"You had another matter to discuss?"  Obito asked.  Ryuusuke gave a stiff nod. They entered  Obito's office, closing the door behind them.

"Sensei, how much do you know about the Uchiha massacre?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Obito stiffened, before sitting down behind his desk.

"Uchiha  Itachi turned rogue, killing every single member of his clan except for me and Uchiha  Sasuke ."  Obito replied.  Ryuusuke looked to the ground.

"Uchiha  Itachi did indeed kill every Uchiha, but it was an order."  Ryuusuke stated.  Obito whipped his head up, staring at  Ryuusuke with eyes, glistering in anger.

"What?" He asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

"Uchiha  Itachi , acted under Konoha. Specifically,  Danzo and the Third  Hokage ."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito remained silent, however his silence spoke volumes.

"How do you know this?" He asked after a moment.  Ryuusuke pressed his lip together.

"Uchiha  Itachi saved me from the clutches of Akatsuki."  Ryuusuke stated.  Obito stared at him.

"I know this sound bad, but -"

"but what?"  Obito interrupted loudly. "You knew that man was a wanted criminal,  Ryuusuke ! You knew what he had done. Why in the world would you listen to him?"  Obito asked.  Ryuusuke looked away.

"I was convinced I didn't have anyone at that moment."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito stared at him harshly, before his gaze  softened slightly.

"That doesn't mean that he was a safe person,"  Obito said as he stood up from his chair, walking over to place a hand on  Ryuusuke's shoulder.

"He isn't who you believe he is."  Ryuusuke stated. "There  are documentations of his mission, hidden away somewhere only the  Hokage can find. Most likely amongst those missions every village wants to keep hidden from history."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito nodded shortly.

"I'll look into it, what happened with  Itachi ?" He asked.  Ryuusuke shuffled where he stood.

"He became my  right-hand man, in a matter of speech."  Ryuusuke replied.  Obito stared at him blankly.

"The Uchiha were planning a coup. Konoha's leadership tried negotiating, but after the  Kyuubi attack, blame was shifted on the Uchiha. Relations were strained, as you might remember."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito nodded with a sigh.

" Itachi , a genius, was loyal to Konoha. Rather than his clan as his father wanted him to be. He became a spy for Konoha inside the clan, along with Uchiha  Shisui . The plan was  orignally to trap the leaders of the coup in a  genjutsu only  Shisui could use, however  Danzo wouldn't have any of that.  Shisui ended up dead, and  Itachi became a suspect of murder, despite  Shisui's death being disguised as a suicide."  Ryuusuke continued.  Obito went back to his seat, sitting down heavily.

"In the end, it seemed so  likely that the Uchiha would start a civil war, and  Itachi agreed that it was a less  favorable outcome than others.  Danzo managed to convince  Itachi , who was in the end  still just a teenager, that if he removed the clan, he would spare so many lives. In addition to his brother  Sasuke ."  Ryuusuke explained.  Obito laughed emptily at that.

"The village and  Sasuke for the Uchiha clan." He said bittersweet.

" Itachi would be the culprit, explained as simply a rogue ninja. While Konoha would keep its reputation of a good-hearted village, and the Uchiha clan's  honour would be maintained."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito looked up at the blond.

" Itachi told you this?" He asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

" Itachi , after I became the  Uzukage , decided to tell me for reasons I'm not sure. Perhaps he wanted to show me that nothing was black or white, seeing how he had already become one of my teachers by then. I have no clue, but if he had been a bad guy, he would not have saved me from that cave, healed my wounds and helped me to be where I am today. There is no motive for him, if he was a murderer. Just... look into it."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito nodded.

"I will," he replied. "Where is  Itachi now?"  Obito asked.

"Outside the village, with the civilians, disguised at  Katachi ."  Ryuusuke explained.  Obito snorted.

"Imaginative name," he said.  Ryuusuke grinned. "Came up with it myself," he replied.

"Keep  Itachi under disguise, I will let him go into the village as long as his chakra is sealed up."  Obito said.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"I will make sure that he is kept under tight watch."  Ryuusuke stated.  Obito nodded  affirmatively . 

"Was that all?"  Obito asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"A ctually,"  Ryuusuke said suddenly. "I would like if... if team 5 could gather for dinner, just me, you, Kakashi-sensei, Eon, Yuki and Sakura."  Ryuusuke said with a slight blush tinting his cheeks.  Obito laughed.

"I'm sure I can arrange that, I'll make sure to give the other's a free pass one day, and clear up my schedule. I'll notify you to when we can meet."  Obito said with a wide smile.  Ryuusuke smiled back and nodded.

"Great," he replied and left the room.

~~~~

Ryuusuke headed to  Uzushio's camp, where he had been given a larger tent to be an 'office'. He had summoned  Itachi via a special seal all his  jonin had on their shoulder, not only helping for communication, but also symbolizing their rank.  Uzushio didn't have vests like Konoha, but rather seals that were applied on their shoulders. 

He went into the tent, and not to a huge surprise,  Itachi was already there.

" Uzukage-sama ,"  Itachi adressed he met  Ryuusuke's gaze.

"At ease,  Itachi , this is not a formal meeting. " Ryuusuke said with a smile.  Itachi returned it with a nod.

" Obito knows about the massacre,"  Ryuusuke stated.  Itachi gave a nod.

"It was necessary for him to know, seeing how he is the  hokage ... and my cousin."  Itachi said.  Ryuusuke hummed.

"He took it better than I thought, he was  more  concerned about me being affiliated with you. As in, concerned for my  well being concerned."  Ryuusuke said with a chuckle.  Itachi hummed dryly in reply. 

"He'll look into Konoha's records, and hopefully we can get the criminal thing of your back.  Konoha might not forgive you, but it will make your position in  Uzu less complicated."  Ryuusuke said.  Itachi nodded.

"Once the war is over... I'll help you in the search for  Sasuke ."  Ryuusuke promised.  Itachi looked at him, unflinching and nonchalant as always.

"Thank you,"  Itachi said politely.  Ryuusuke waved him off.

"It's no problem, however, I am going to need you for  Uzu's training program. I will still have to oversee the rebuilding of  Uzushio , and the defence seal will need most of the  jinchuuriki . You will organize the  accommodations and  rule setting for Konoha's academy students and ninja."  Ryuusuke said.  Itachi nodded.

"In addition, while myself and the  jinchuuriki go to set up the  transportation seal in  Uzu , I need you to stay here to keep  Uzu's citizens under control. I don't want them to get uneasy while they are here."  Ryuusuke continued. 

"However,  Uzushio's rebuilding will have to wait. First, we need to set up the major transportation seal in one of Konoha's training grounds, and the chakra cost to make sure it's properly functioning is still a lot, and I'm the only one who's adept enough in  Fuinjutsu to properly activate it. Regardless if I want to admit it or not, my body would probably not handle that kind of strain at the moment. In about two weeks, I'll sort out the placement with  Obito -sensei and start applying it. After activation, I will need to rest for a couple of days. After that, I and the other  jinchuuriki will head to  Uzushio to start rebuilding, and hopefully set up the transportation seal there as soon as possible so we can come back without much of a hassle. This will take another two or three weeks. As I said, you're in charge then,"  Ryuusuke explained. 

"After the seal is up, we will continue rebuilding. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it done after a month or so, I will of course travel between  Uzu and Konoha during this time period, to make sure everything is okay, but I am the only one who can use the restoring seal. It will take time, regardless if the other  jinchuuriki channel their chakra through me."  Ryuusuke said.  Itachi nodded.

"I know, we did it once before. However, I must remind you that when you rebuilt the village the first time, you were in a coma for nearly a month, did you tell  Obito about this?"  Itachi asked.  Ryuusuke stiffened slightly.

"I might not have mentioned it,"  Ryuusuke said.

" Ryuusuke , you should take your time in rebuilding, hopefully not get trapped in the seal agai n as you did last time. If you push yourself, especially after what I heard from your medical report."  Itachi said, his voice calm yet somewhat harsh.

"You know about that?"  Ryuusuke said with a half-hearted chuckle.

"It was reckless, stupid and thank the gods Eon and Yuki came to rescue you – and nonetheless  Gaara's insistence on going back, I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. I'm glad he didn't now."  Itachi stated. He grabbed the medical file which he had laid on  Ryuusuke's desk.

"This, is not protecting your village. This village needs you alive. We're all dependent on you in ways you have yet to fully understand. There is a reason why you have your title,  Uzukage . You need to start thinking about your own worth as well."  Itachi reprimanded.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"I will," he replied.

"Now, I'm pretty sure most of the belongings of  Uzu are good, seeing how you made everyone learn basic storage seals and made sure they would always keep their stuff in them, just for cases like this. Seems like the moment the alarm went, everyone hurried to seal their stuff up and carry with them. Everyone  has their personal and essential belongings."  Itachi said.

"There were some minorly wounded after Pain's attack, however they were treated quickly by Haku, and  stabilized . Currently, they are being transported to the hospital for proper  check- ups . Some medic  nin is also coming by tomorrow to make a full check of everyone, to make sure no illness of a sort  has spread during the times in the tunnel. We spent around two days in there, and who knows what might have been there." He continued.

"There  were  some causalities however, but not as many as it could have been. I'll give you the list later. I t's of those  unaccounted for, which most likely means that they were in Pain's way when he first came, and didn't manage to evacuate in time."  Itachi said.  Ryuusuke clenched his hand.

"First, you will relax.  Gaara told me you have sorted everything out with your old team, which is good. It is necessary for you to let go of the past if you truly wish to become stronger. For now, rest. Get some new clothes, I see you've borrowed from someone. It's not your style. Also, perhaps get some new equipment. I trust the  Tsumibito is sealed as always?"  Itachi asked.  Ryuusuke nodded, before his eyes widened in realization, excitement gleamed in his eyes.

"I am going to do all that, tomorrow. For now, I'm going to sleep."

\---

The next day, as Sakura had  dubbed,  was an errand day. 

Ryuusuke had gone to the bank, grabbing some of the money he had stored there because of  Jiraiya and his parents. He went into town, first stopping by the general shinobi equipment store to restock on kunai,  shurikens and so on, in  addition to some new shoes and mesh shirts.

After that, he went to the tailor, handing a slip of paper with a premade order along with all the necessary measurements. He also paid the tailor beforehand to make sure he got the item as soon as possible.  He made his way to the blacksmith afterwards, again handing the man behind the counter a premade order along with the details of the item. 

H e then continued to the clothing store, to get some clothing of his own, rather than borrowing from  Shikamaru and Eon. 

After shopping, he went back to  Uzu's camp outside Konoha, continuing to sort through papers that  Itachi had so  _ kindly  _ brought to his attention. After this, he continued working on the training regime for his  genin , some of it while they were currently staying in Konoha if they didn't want to go to the academy as they had been offered.

After drafting the regime, he had to go back to  Obito and confirm some things, in addition to adding whatever  Obito thought necessary into it. 

Unfortunately for  Ryuusuke , he was called back to the hospital for another check-up, to make sure that all of his wounds were healing as they should. His chakra  supply was steadily growing back, which was good. After he'd done all of this, the day was already beginning to end.

Heading back to Eon's apartment with all his newly  acquired items and some paperwork he wanted to continue looking over. Sakura, luckily for him, had started making dinner. He went to put all of his things into his current bedroom before heading to the kitchen.

"Hey," he said as he went into the fridge, grabbing something to drink.

"Welcome back," Sakura said as she  turned to face him. "How was the errand day?"

"It was okay,"  Ryuusuke said. "Though it was a lot of walking," he continued. 

"I can imagine," Sakura said. "Put some plates on the table, would you?" She asked.  Ryuusuke nodded as he went into the cupboard. There weren't many plates there, since Eon usually ate with  Shikamaru and his family, however as of late she had begun buying in these kinds of things. For independence maybe,  Ryuusuke didn't know.

Ryuusuke and Sakura had had quite  th e chatty dinners, not because  Ryuusuke was especially chatty, but because  Sakura  was . He replied in short  senten ces , occasionally coming in with his own additions to the conversation. They would sometimes discuss  Uzu , how it was and things like that. It was pleasant,  Ryuusuke had to admit. 

"You're going to return to  Uzu soon, aren't you?" Sakura suddenly asked when they were sitting in the  living room . Sakura had been reading while  Ryuusuke went over some papers from earlier.

"Estimate departure in around two months for the entirety of  Uzu , however I'm travelling back and forth after around three weeks have passed and begin the rebuilding."  Ryuusuke replied. "Why?" He asked. Sakura looked at him  carefully. 

"It's a shame, that you have to leave so soon after coming back." She said softly.

"I have a duty to my village,"  Ryuusuke stated. Sakura let a bittersweet smile decorate her lips. 

" You had a duty to this village before that," she whispered.  Ryuusuke stared at her  blankly , before his face softened.

"Sakura, I won't disappear again. You are always free to come to  Uzushio if you wish, and  I will most likely come by during the  chuunin exams, diplomatic meetings and so on. Even if I'm far away, I won't be gone."  Ryuusuke said softly. 

"… you just came back, and then you leave. It's... unfair." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke chuckled. 

"I mean, you could always come visit."  Ryuusuke said. Sakura huffed.

"It's not the same, "  she stated.  Ryuusuke sighed.

"I know," he replied. 

"In the war... you'll be in the medic corps, correct?"  Ryuusuke asked. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, as  Tsunade's pupil I'm one of the most adept medic ninja out there." Sakura replied.  Ryuusuke glanced to the side.

"I wish I could've gotten you all out from the war," he admitted. Sakura looked at him, confusion spread across her face.

"As in, I know there are dangers, after what happened in  Uzu ... there were  causalities , even though our reaction time was on a record scale of its own. I don't want to see you, Eon or Yuki, Kakashi-sensei,  Obito -sensei or anyone die.  Uzu's defences, when activated, are the strongest out there. I wish I could  just, hide you all there."  Ryuusuke said with a  h alf -hearted chuckle.

"I can understand that," Sakura said.

"However, I know I can't do that,"  Ryuusuke said. "This is a war that needs to be won. If the five nations loose, I will most likely  lose my life. The Akatsuki are after the  jinchuuriki , it's no secret. They got me once before, and I managed to escape because of luck. I can't do that again. They know, they can't just keep me again."  Ryuuusuke said. Sakura bit her lip.

"How many... medic  nin are there in  Uzu ?" She asked.  Ryuusuke met her gaze. 

"...we have one who can kind of qualify as a medic  nin , but he actually just knows a lot about herbs and that kind of healing. There aren't many people in the village who knows or can teach others."  Ryuusuke said. 

"Why?" He asked. Sakura shuffled in her seat.

" Tsunade have always wanted to promote a medic training program for all  genin , but when she was in Konoha last it was also a war, and it never got passed due to the lack of resources and time. I'm qualified to teach others, if  Tsunade takes my place in the field. She originally wanted to stay as an advisor." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke stared at her.

"Don't you want to participate in the war?"  Ryuusuke asked. Sakura laughed shortly.

"No one wants to participate in a war, dummy." Sakura said.

"I thought you weren't the one who would like to sit idly by and do nothing."  Ryuusuke said. Sakura shrugged.

"I wouldn't be. If I'm teaching a large group of  ninja medical  jutsu , the survival rate for each team would  heightened . That's a good thing, right?" Sakura asked.  Ryuusuke nodded dumbly.

"Think about having a medical program, and ask  Obito -sensei about it. If you do, I can get on it... I think," Sakura said.  Ryuusuke looked at her.

"It's not just because of the medical training program, but in addition, parts of team five will always be together. Eon and Yuki are in the same squad,  Obito -sensei made  sure of it. He himself will be with the other  kage , while Kakashi-sensei is a commander. I won't let you be alone in  Uzu ." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke stared at her, surprised.

"If you truly want it, I'll ask sensei about it tomorrow."  Ryuusuke said. Sakura went over to him, grabbed his hand tightly.

"Thank you," she said softly.


	14. Iruka is a Dad

Eon  wasn't particularly fond  of long missions.  Especially not at  the time,  regardless of the importance of them .  However, it wasn’t simply because it was along mission, but because she would much rather spend time with  Ryuusuke and Yuki as much as she could before the war, and before  Ryuusuke went back to  Uzu .

In addition, leaving  Ryuusuke alone in her apartment was out of the question, so she ended up offering Sakura to stay there for the duration of Eon's mission. She had heard from Yuki how little Sakura went along with her parents as of late, them not understanding Sakura's wish to be a ninja or something. It was typical of civilians, and while she understood Sakura's side of it, she couldn't entirely understand Sakura's wish to be away from her parents. Then again, that was seeing it from an orphan's point of view, even though Eon mostly grew up with  Shikaku and Yoshino.

In addition to all that, it wasn't exactly an exciting mission.

She was supposed to guard a group of scientists while they gathered materials needed from  Suna . The road between Konoha and  Suna had a notorious rumour of being easily attacked by bandits and rogue ninja, hence the protection  detail . However, seeing how it was war time, even bandits knew better than to try attack shinobi. 

So, Eon and a group of  chuunin she didn't know, along with the scientists, went on the slow, hot and long trip from Konoha to  Suna . They were staying  there for a couple of days, to let the scientists rest up and gather what they need before heading back to Konoha. In addition, Eon would have a short meeting with the  Kazekage to deliver two messages, one from the  Hokage and one from  Shikamaru .

Her cousin's affection for the  kazekage was not unknown to the general public, seeing how he became not only because he had to, but because he wanted to,  konoha's 'ambassador' in  Suna .  Obito arranged a simple arrangement for it, that basically since  Suna and Konoha had  become such good allies after the invasion, that  Shikamaru , rather than travelling back and forth, would stay in  Suna and receive messages by hawk, or be summoned back to Konoha if it was very important. 

It wasn't exactly a normal arrangement, but it had taken place a couple of months ago and proved to provide a good communication between the two villages.

However, seeing how they were entering war time,  Shikamaru had been called back to Konoha  indefinitely after the  kage summit. Which was probably what the letter she was  deli vering was about. Him filling Temari, the  kazekage , in on the situation.

And  so, she found herself staring ahead in the distance where she could shimmer the outline of the mountain which surrounded  Suna protectively, her scientist companions admiring the view while sweating profusely, and her shinobi companions mildly complaining about the heat. 

It wasn't necessarily bad, but she still found herself wanting them to just act professional during the entire trip, however she supposed it was not uncommon for them to be at ease and have some... interactional fun. 

There were two  scientists with her, an elderly man named Okazaki Udo and his apprentice Igarashi  Yachi . Udo wasn't an unpleasant companion. He occasionally made smaller conversations in a calm and respectful manner, explaining exactly what they were looking for and how long they needed to prepare for the trip back. However,  Yachi was... not that calm. He wasn't energic, but rather looked very nervous. As if he was expecting an attack, yet at the same time not exactly that. Eon wasn't entirely sure on how to put her finger on it, but the  behaviour was familiar from somewhere.

Yachi had been listening intently to his teacher the entire time, but whenever Udo asked Eon about anything, including  Yachi's input, he immediately turned away. It was somewhat endearing, yet Eon couldn't help but to feel a slight irritation. She  didn't comment on it, it was none of her business after all, but when you go on a mission to another village, you should have at least the communication skill to hold a normal conversation.

As they arrived at the entrance to the Sand village, Eon quickly found the necessary papers that they needed to get passage and handed it to the guards. The other shinobi with her, two  genin who'd been in the rank for who know how long, were to follow the scientist to  Suna's own science department while Eon went to the  kazekage .

-

Temari and Eon had never actually met. Sure, they saw each other during the  chuunin exam, and they both knew each other, but  Shikamaru's closeness with her didn't blossom before later, and Eon herself had come back not too long ago from Sound. Speaking of Sound,  Orochimaru had been awfully quiet for some time according to  Obito .

So, while waiting for her appointment with the  kazekage , Eon was sitting quietly in the waiting area, beneath the  kazekage's office. It wasn't for very long, luckily for her. She would much rather get back to Konoha's more moderate environment sooner rather than later. 

She was escorted to the office by a  chuunin , which wasn't exactly necessary, but seeing how the war was coming closer, a nec essary protection for their  Kage . The  chuunin knocked on the door, and a firm reply from the other side led him to open it up for Eon. 

" Kazekage-sama ," Eon greeted. "I'm Nara Eon, captain for the protection detail regarding Konoha's scientist. I carry a letter from the  Hokage , in addition to a presumably more personal one from my cousin,  Shikamaru ." Eon said. Temari looked at her, her face nonchalant as she sat behind her desk.

"Put them on the table, is it an urgent message?" Temari asked. Eon shook her head.

"Simple details on Konoha's agreements with  Uzu , simil ar letters are sent by hawk to  Iwa , Kumo and Kiri, however seeing how a team was already going there, the  Hokage sent it along with me, in addition to  Shikamaru's letter, of course." Eon replied.

" Uzu ? Those ninja that came to the five  kage meeting?" Temari asked. Eon nodded.

"The  Uzukage ,  Namikaze Ryuusuke , was a  genin under the  Hokage's tutelage.  Uzu provides extra support on the war, in addition to protection and  genin . The details are in the letter." Eon replied. Temari nodded.

" Shikamaru is doing well?" She asked, a small blush on her face. Eon smiled politely.

" Shikamaru is currently aiding in village preparations, along with emergency tutoring regarding being a clan  head . A tradition in Konoha, seeing how many major clans are participating on the front lines their children, if they have any, are taught how to be the head of the clan in a short period of time before the war, in case their parents die." Eon responded. "He is also doing fine, but complaining regardless. He told me to give you his regards," 

"I wish you give him mine as well upon you return. Konoha's team is free to stay as long as you like, lodgings will be prepared and I'll send a  chuunin to escort you there once in order. The scientists will also have access to the necessary items they needed, however they should be warned to stray from their objective." Temari said. 

"If I may, has  Gaara arrived here safely ? I heard he was leaving sometime during this week, presumably as soo n as possible. I was travelling the civilian route, so I wouldn't have seen him." Eon said. Temari let a grin grace her face.

"He arrived yesterday, apparently having flown as soon as the papers were sorted. Wasn't before nightfall though, so I was a bit surprised. He is currently training with  Kankuro and catching up. I'm going to meet them later for dinner." Temari said. Eon nodded with a smile as well.

"Sounds great, I hope you have a great time. However, I should return to my team, if I may?" Eon said. Temari nodded.

"Your message has been safely  received , Nara Eon." Temari said. Eon bowed before making her leave.

-

Eon met up with the rest of her party at the hotel they ended up staying in, where  Yachi and Udo went on to talk amongst themselves about the different herbs and medical uses they had and so on. The two  genin in her party  were  on the other side of the room playing cards. 

Eon herself were working on a short report she could send back to the  Hokage by hawk, giving him an estimate of how long they would be staying. She also added a personal note that she would like him to make sure Sakura and  Ryuusuke didn't burn down the Nara compound. 

"Nara," Udo spoke suddenly and shook Eon out of her concentration.

"What is it?" She responded after a moment.

"The resources we need will be ready for delivery in two  days, we can leave at a moment's notice after that." Udo said with a smile. Eon nodded.

"It's amazing, Udo-sensei, the way these herbs react comparing to the medical ninjutsu-"  Yachi scurried over to Udo and held a report up. 

"I know,  Yachi ," Udo responded with a hearty laugh.  Yachi suddenly turned red,  bringing the report back to him to hide his face behind it.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have showed it to you, of course you know – you're amazing after all and I can't even remember what we talked about like two seconds ago, but the reaction is so interesting and I couldn't help myself and what if I didn't show it to you and you didn't know then you would miss out on that amazing reaction and I couldn't let that happen – but now I made a fool of myself in front of you and these ninja and-"

" Yachi , calm down, " Udo said softly and turned to face him, grabbing his shoulders and squeezing comfortingly. 

Eon chuckled at the scene, which made Udo turn to look at her, eyes wide.

"You laughed, " He stated. Eon looked back at him, confusion spread across her face.

"It's the first time you laughed on trip, I was beginning to wonder if you could!" Udo began to laugh loudly at that.  Yachi continued to blush, but there was a small smile decorating his face.

"I can laugh perfectly well," Eon stated, now seeing the humour in the situation.

"But I'd actually like to know about that medical herb reaction," she said. Udo looked at her for half a second before turning to  Yachi .

"Go on, kid, tell her all about that reaction." He said and patted  Yachi on the back before going back to the pile of reports on a desk in a corner of the room.

"ah – uh – Udo-sensei?"  Yachi began to stutter as his teacher left him.

"Take your time,  Yachi ," Eon chuckled. She couldn't help but to be reminded of that  one time she was hanging out with Yuki and Hinata. Hinata might even be  shyer that  Yachi , but it was kind of amusing to see them stutter around. She  wondered how that came to be...

Yachi went on to slowly explaining how the herbs discovered here in  Suna were more  capabl e to help with healing of wounds than other medications, which could easily disrupt the work the medical  jutsu did or worsen the damage. After a while, he became more and more engaged in the conversation, and Eon was beginning to question her conclusion about his personality which she had almost pegged to the wall after her first impression of him. 

Somehow, he was kind of interesting.

\----

Ryuusuke thought that taking a couple of days to organize  Uzu's stay in Konoha and to rest up a bit would grant him a small vacation. It turned out that he was very wrong. It was fine in the beginning, but then he got called to the hospital to do a quick check up on his recovery, where he then was told that he was completely fine and did not have to worry about his condition worsening.  And then he thought, well, perhaps he could just relax a bit then.

And then  Jiraiya jumped in through the window. 

"Hey, kid!"  Jiraiya said loudly as he landed in the  living room , followed by three kunai being shot at him from the other side. Of course,  Jiraiya easily deflected them.

"Woah, take it easy."  Jiraiya said with a grin.  Ryuusuke came into the room from around the corner.

" Jiraiya -? What are you doing here?"  Ryuusuke asked. 

"I heard that the hospital gave you the clear! It is time we began your training."  Jiraiya said.  Ryuusuke remained standing still.

"Training?" He asked.  Jiraiya nodded.

"As your Godfather, and your father's teacher, I think that the best way for us to catch up, talk about your parents and spending time together will be during training. In addition to you learning some useful techniques from a legendary  sannin , the toad  sage  - me."  Jiraiya said, obviously excited. 

Ryuusuke chuckled. He knew that  Jiraiya would most likely want to teach him, and he wasn't stupid enough to say no to that offer. Hurrying back into his room, ignoring  Jiraiya's calls of protest, probably thinking he was running away from him, he grabbed his training clothes that he had newly bought and put them on. It was a simple tight turtleneck, black in  colour and very simil ar to ANBU's uniform together with a pair of grey shorts. He hurried back out into the living room.

"Let's go," he said with a grin. 

\--

Yuki had been very eager to have a small break after the events in  Uzu , and all those that followed, however  Obito had easily given her a mission the moment the necessary rest up period after the strain on her chakra system she had gotten after healing  Ryuusuke after the fight and all that.

The mission itself wasn't much, she and two other  jonin were going to clear up a bandit camp not far from the main road between the fishing village close to  Uzu and Konoha. They were supposed to clear the area so that  Ryuusuke's party could easily get through there when that time came.

Her team, being a  three- man cell of  jonin , would be more than enough for that mission. And it was. However, she made some interesting  ac quaintances with the other two. 

Kazuki Arata was newly promoted to  jonin , he had graduated the year before Yuki along with his teammate Yamanaka  K ousuke ,  who was the second  jonin on this team. Their third teammate, Koshi Hana, had become a medic  nin after their  chuunin graduation. 

Arata was very calm and collected, and hadn't Yuki known better she would have thought he was a Nara. He was the captain of the mission, and he managed to put up a good tactic without much effort. 

K ousuke on the other  hand ... he was much more outgoing. He reminded Yuki slightly about  Obito , without the responsible part. Without the  grown-up part.  K ousuke was very eager and slightly reckless, however Arata managed to keep him in check most of the time.

They had gotten to the location of the camp quite fast, before waiting until night had fallen to get the best coverage. It was pining  K ousuke , who was certain that they could easily dispatch with the bandits without much trouble. There was some truth to what he was saying, however it was better to go in stealthily and give them and upper hand. 

Arata would scout the area first, him having more experience in stealth than Yuki and  K ousuke , not that it was very difficult to be  stealthier than him. Arata gave them an estimate on  how many bandits there were, their patrol routes and intervals. 

They were going to sneak their way around, however  K ousuke managed to give Arata the slip. Before he or Yuki managed to react, an alarm blared from the bandit camp.

Despite them  lo sing their  initial advantage, the bandits were only bandits. They weren't even a match for newly graduated  genin , which said something about their skill  level . Yuki had recently gotten a near master  levelled water style, and so she didn't even  have to use her adamantine sealing chains. With Kousuke being an  up-close fighter for the most part, in addition to being very well rounded, along with Arata's tactic and  shurikenjutsu – the bandits had no chance.

They  finished rounding them all up before sunrise, and then calling in a stand- by team, mixture of  chuunin and  genin to escort the bandits to a city near the Land of Fire's capital, where they would be dealt with according to national laws. Yuki, Arata and Kousuke were on their way back to Konoha after the stand- by team arrived.

However, the most amusing parts of Yuki's mission were on the way back.

She learned quite quickly that Arata was Kousuke's best friend, and that they went way back. And Kousuke was very excited and all about that, yet Arata was much more calm and reluctant to say anything of the sort. Yet, Kousuke began talking about all of his dangerous missions and how he had singlehandedly defeated many missing  nin .

Arata was quick to correct him that it was a team effort, regardless of what Kousuke said about it.

Along the road through the dense forests surrounding Konoha,  Kousuke had suddenly stopped the group before running off into the forest, telling the other two that they shouldn't follow him. Arata brushed it off and continued on his way, saying that it was only Kousuke trying to be a badass. However, Yuki was worried. 

She headed after him silently into the forest, taking the tree branch route rather than going on ground. She followed Kousuke's recent tracks to find his location, easily spotting him after a few minutes. Before she went down, she saw Kousuke standing horizontally on a tree, crouched down as he put something down on a nearby branch. 

Yuki remained where she was, for some reason feeling like she was intruding on a moment. Kousuke stayed there for a short while before jumping down from the tree and running back to where he probably thought Arata and Yuki were. Once he was out of sight, Yuki went over to the tree Kousuke had been on, and easily seeing a  bird's nest, along with three small baby birds. One of them looked a little ruffled, and it didn't take a genius to see what had happened.

Yuki hurried back to where she knew Arata would be, barely making it before Kousuke arrived. He told them that he'd seen some shady guys, but lost them in the woods. Yuki couldn't help but to chuckle, seeing straight through his act.

\--

Ryuusuke wasn't sure how he had gotten himself in this situation. He'd been training with  Jiraiya all day, ended up being slightly a bit over the top and definitely exhausting himself before he managed to drag himself home. As he entered Eon's apartment he could easily find Sakura on the couch. She might have been napping, but she sprung up from the couch the moment  Ryuusuke stepped inside.

"What in the world have you been doing?" Sakura asked as she stood up.  Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You look like you threw yourself down a mountain or something," Sakura said.  Ryuusuke groaned as he rubbed his arm.

" _ I _ __ didn't throw myself down a mountain,  _ Jiraiya _ __ threw me down am mountain."  Ryuusuke said as he began to walk over. Sakura hurried over to meet him when she tripped over her own feet, clumsily falling and crashing into  Ryuusuke – who despite his true strength – was unable to catch her due to his exhaustion. They both fell to the ground, their faces inches away from each other. The two looked at each other for what felt like eternity, before the door opened.

"Please keep it to the living room, guys,"

Sakura jumped to her feet, scrambling at least five  meters away in surprise.  Ryuusuke didn't really move, he had barely enough strength to walk home, definitely not stand up.

"Eon,"  Ryuusuke stated, his face suddenly  lightened up in realization before  prom ptly getting very red. This was the situation he found himself questioning.

"Eon, it's not what it looks like!" Sakura exclaimed loudly.  Ryuusuke nodded frequently to add to it. Eon did not look amused.

"I see," She stated.

" Ryuusuke , Kakashi-sensei says you can stay in his old apartment, he and Iruka-sensei are going to move in together so it's empty until they manage to sell it. It will let you have a proper place to keep your stuff and train during your stay here, in addition to me having to leave for missions every now and then, and I'd rather not have you and Sakura defile my home." Eon said as she walked pass them.

"Ah – okay,"  Ryuusuke stuttered as he got to his feet.

"Goodnight," Eon said from down the hall.

"G-goodnight!" Sakura  exclaimed in response.  Ryuusuke just sighed.

"well, since Eon's back I should go home, don't  real l y fancy sleeping on the couch," Sakura said after gathering herself. 

"You could just stay in my room,"  Ryuusuke said. Sakura immediately turned red.  Ryuusuke's eyes  wid e n e d .

"Not that – no – I meant,"  Ryuusuke stuttered. 

"No, I get it, but I, I don't want to overstay." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke scoffed.

"Don't be silly, I'm sure Eon wouldn't want you to just leave either. It's fine or we could just..."  Ryuusuke trailed off. Sakura looked at him curiously.

"We could just ask Kakashi-sensei for the key to his apartment, and we can stay there – then you don't have to go back to your parents and yeah like Eon said, it's easier for me to store my stuff and we could get a nice walk outside and-"  Ryuusuke blabbered before being interrupted by Sakura laughing. She walked over to  Ryuusuke .

"Let's go," She said with a grin.

\--

Ryuusuke's training with  Jiraiya was going forward. The old man had decided that if there was one thing  Ryuusuke had to learn, it was summoning. Summoning frogs.  _ Toads,  _ Jiraiya corrected him several times. 

Ryuusuke's main problem wasn't exactly summoning the toads, but getting the hand seals correct. But he got it down after practising for a few hours.  Jiraiya wanted to test how much he could actually summon, and decided that throwing him down a mountain had been a good idea. 

Ryuusuke had apparently summoned the toad boss,  Gamabunta . 

Gamabunta was a drag,  Ryuusuke decided quickly. But knowing how to summon allies seemed to be something worth knowing, in addition to his father having known it before him, so it became some part of his legacy,  Ryuusuke supposed. 

After that,  Jiraiya put him through some intense physical work out, in addition to working on different chakra natures and expanding his already large chakra reserves. It was exhausting, and made  Ryuusuke definitely sore. 

Jiraiya also had him spar against the toad sage's clones, from one on one to several, for 'experience' he said. During this training,  Jiraiya had been giving a lot of remarks on his  taijutsu form, his way of tactics and stuff like that. It made  Ryuusuk e realize how little he actually knew, and how much  Jiraiya actually could and was teaching him.

After they'd done this for a week,  Ryuusuke began preparing the trip back to  Uzushio .  Jiraiya was insistent on joining him, for 'additional protection' he said, but  Ryuusuke knew that  Jiraiya's true intentions laid in him wanting to spend time with  Ryuusuke , and being afraid of the fact that  Ryuusuke could disappear again. 

At the moment,  Ryuusuke was in his makeshift office in Kakashi's apartment. He had decided that it was easier for him to have all of his things in one place, and having his meetings there rather than having to walk back and forth between the tent he had been using in  Uzu's camp.  Itachi was there at most times, not only for 'protection', but to more easily organize  Ryuusuke's day. 

"By using the collected chakra of the  jinchuuriki , the rebuilding would go much faster in addition to easing the strain on myself, however there is a risk travelling with all of us while  Uzushio's protection is still down. I'm considering going there first with a smaller team and lay out the transportation seal, if I can get th at up and going first, we can more safely travel between Konoha and  Uzushio during the construction. "  Ryuusuke mused.

"That would  require you leaving a blood clone, in addition to having some of the  jinchuuriki with you to activate the seal from this distance."  Itachi commented.

"Right, but the seal here was finished up yesterday, and by leaving Bee ,  Yugito , Han and  Utakata here with the blood clone we should have enough chakra, while me , Yagura,  Fuu and  Roshi  will go to  Uzu and activate it from there. After that, my blood clone will most likely not have much chakra left, but still be able to instruct the others on how to travel through the seal before dispersing. Then they should be able to get to  Uzu without much trouble, and we can begin the construction."  Ryuusuke said. 

"And if Akatsuki attacks during you activating the seal?"  Itachi asked. 

"I have my lesser transportation seal in a nearby village where I can transport all of us at once, but there will be a strain.  However, I'll ask  Obito to have a stand-by team there just in case. The activation of the seal should take no more than a day. After that we will stay in the vault until I'm up to speed and activate  Uzu's defence."  Ryuusuke replied.  Itachi nodded.

"And me and  Gaara ?"  Itachi asked.

" Gaara is still in  Suna , I'll let him be there until he decides to come back. You will be  Uzu's ambassador, and despite your wish,  Zabuza and Haku will be with you most of the time. In addition,  Obito asked Kakashi to keep an eye on you. This is of course because of the massacre, I'm sure you understand."  Ryuusuke said with a smile.  Itachi scoffed, but nodded regardless.

"I'll give you guys three days before I send out a team of  chuunin to make sure everything is alright, I also expect you travelling back to Konoha after the main parts of the city is up and running, so we can prepare for  Uzu's departure."  Itachi said.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Reasonable, the team would then be myself, Yagura,  Fuu , Roshi and  Jiraiya . We leave tomorrow evening to have the night's coverage. Notify them to meet me in two hours for a debrief, in the meanwhile I will write the details for the rest's assignments on a scroll, so you'll all have specific duties. If they're not followed I'll deal with it when I come back, but you are mostly in charge.  Gaara will be your backup in case of an emergency. I'll also leave a transportation seal here, you know how it works."  Ryuusuke said.  Itachi gave an affirmative nod.

\--

A couple of hours later, Yagura,  Fuu , Roshi and  Jiraiya had arrived at  Ryuusuke's 'office'. Yagura and Roshi were standing straight and in line in front of  Ryuusuke's desk, while  Jiraiya was leaning against the wall.  Fuu was smiling excitingly while barely standing by  Ryuusuke's desk.

" ahh ,  Ryuusuke-kun it's so great to have a mission again! I've been so bored and there's been absolutely nothing to do! What are we going to do? Will we go fight those  akatsuki bastards? I've been waiting to pay them back after they attacked and -"

" Fuu , that's enough."  Ryuusuke said.  Fuu halted in her ramble, falling into line next to Yagura and Roshi.

"Tomorrow evening we are heading back to  Uzu to activate the transportation  seal . After the rest of the Nine arrives we will begin the construction of  Uzushio . It is important to note that we will be travelling during night tomorrow,  so I advise you all to rest up and pack accordingly, we'll be staying in  Uzu for a couple of days after all. There  are plans ready if things were to go wrong, I will brief you on them later if it is of interest."  Ryuusuke summarized. Roshi looked at  Jiraiya narrowly.

"Why is he here?" Roshi asked.  Ryuusuke sighed.

" Jiraiya is my Godfather, and wanted to join in on the mission for additional protection. I had no reason to refuse. He is trustworthy."  Ryuusuke said. Roshi nodded, but didn't say anything.

" Gaara isn't joining us?"  Fuu asked.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

" Gaara is currently in  Suna visiting his family, so he will be there for the time being. When he comes back he will be  Itachi's hand while he acts as the ambassador for  Uzu here in Konoha."  Ryuusuke answered. 

"How long do you presume before we can move back to  Uzu ?" Yagura asked. 

"Not long, but the faster we finish up rebuilding the better.  Uzu's move will take a week or something, and the rebuilding something in the same area, so I'd say in three or four  weeks' time we will be back on track. After that we will prepare for the Allied Shinobi Academy."  Ryuusuke said before grinning. "I hope you're all ready to be teachers," he said. 

"The risk for attack?"  Jiraiya asked.

"I'd say it's pretty low, Pain was completely gone by the time our fight was over, and they will know that it's impossible for us to stay there,  I'm  sure they're monitoring other areas if they are looking for us, but chances are that they are mobilizing and preparing for the war. The roads between the villages are more  securely protected, and they know that the  jinchuuriki will be under the same kind of protection. There are chances, but pretty low. We might see some bandits, but teams have been sent out to clear the road for us."  Ryuusuke replied.

"If that was all, you're all dismissed to rest up and prepare. Meet me at the south gate in the evening tomorrow. Do not train or strain yourself, I need you in top shape."  Ryuusuke said. Roshi, Yagura and  Fuu nodded before disappearing in a body flicker, while  Jiraiya went up to  Ryuusuke .

"You're quite the leader, you know. Your ninja respects you,  listen s to you without argumentations. It's admirable,"  Jiraiya said.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"It wasn't always like that.  Fuu and  Gaara were the easiest to have on my side.  Utakata and Bee needed some persuasion, but they saw my cause eventually. Roshi,  Yugito and Yagura were much more hesitant, while Han proved to be the worst. He really hated humanity, saw himself as the only one worth fighting for. In the end, I managed to convince all of them that we  jinchuuriki needed to stay together. That we were a family of a sort. With  Itachi at my side, he managed to organize our routes and how to get around without meeting any ninja, and on our way to  Uzu we met with so many people. In the beginning I didn't want anything to do with them, but there were so many cases where people weren't being treated right because of something their village did, or their parents did."  Ryuusuke sighed.

"I couldn't stand by and know that, so I said that I would create them a place they could call home. Despite their backgrounds as missing  nin , or outcasts, they all came together. It was a bit hard to get them to work together at first, everyone trusted no one, and we came to the decision that we needed someone to guide us in the right direction. We put up a vote, where anyone could try and make people get to vote for them. I didn't even apply, but  somehow the majority decided that it should be me."  Ryuusuke explained.

"There was an uproar in the beginning, and at the time  Uzu was only ruins where we put up shelters and stuff, but then I decided to go exploring, and ended up finding a place we call the Vault. It was only  accessible via a blood seal, which I later discovered only answers to someone of the Uzumaki bloodline, the main clan of  Uzu . There I found a seal which could rebuild the city and activate  it's defences. I tried it and got trapped in there for who knows how long. It was the other  jinchuuriki who kept me alive by transferring their chakra to my own. Had they not, the seal would have absorbed all my chakra. I was out for weeks afterwards, but the village had been completely restored. We tried to keep the vault open, but only  I  could open the door."  Ryuusuke continued.

"A couple of those who were against me as leader decided to leave, but they ended up in some kind of  sc uffle at sea. I had to go and bail them out, and I explained that I didn't need them to be loyal to me, but that I wanted them to have a home. It was kind of cliché, but  somehow, they ended up trusting me. The rest of the village agreed that I had united them and given them a home, and that we as one would be able to achieve something better than the village systems we had."  Ryuusuke said.

" Uzu came as a random group of people, but in the end when we left it after the attack, we left as one. When they came to Konoha, those who still were slightly against me being the  U zukage had lost their doubts. I'm pretty sure  Gaara sent a letter to  Itachi or something, because for some reason the entire population of  Uzu knew that I alone protected them and nearly died in the process."  Ryuusuke said. 

"They decided you  were a true leader because of your will to protect them, regardless of their treatment towards you."  Jiraiya said.  Ryuusuke laughed.

"Something like that,"  Ryuusuke said.

"Go get some rest kid, you don't need more politics today. You know what they say, the bane of a  kage is the paperwork,"  Jiraiya said.

"Shadow clones are the key to that problem,"  Ryuusuke replied.  Jiraiya halted his movement.

"What?"  Jiraiya asked, a smile beginning to form on his face.

"I can personally overlook all documents by using shadow clones, since the clones are me. That's  how I got  Uzu to be an actual city within a year and a half,  technically just six months, since gather all the people and getting them together took around a year."  Ryuusuke said.

"Oh god, I need to tell this to  Obito ,"  Jiraiya said with glee as he jumped out the window.  Ryuusuke chuckled before leaning back in his chair.

"Going home, huh?" He asked himself out loud. He stood up and went over to a window, looking out over the city of Konoha.

"I wonder if I would have called this home, if I hadn't left." He mused. 

Ryuusuke went on to sort the papers he had on his desk, getting ready to have them stored safely away from prying eyes while he was gone. Not that he was so very mistrusting to the people here who actually knew who he  was , but rather for safety measures. 

" Ryuusuke , I'm back." Sakura announced as she opened the door.  Ryuusuke turned to face her. 

"I heard you had a meeting," she  saidas she walked over to him.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"I'm heading to  Uzushio tomorrow, I'm coming back at some point, but I'm going to start the rebuilding."  Ryuusuke said. Sakura sighed softly.

"Are you going alone?" She asked.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

"Some of my  jonin and  Jiraiya will be joining me, " h e responded.

"That's good," Sakura said. She bit her lower lip, fumbling slightly with her hands.

"You don't think that I could join you?" She asked quietly.  Ryuusuke's eyes widened. 

"Sakura... there's nothing there at the moment, we're just  going to lay out the transportation seal to transport the rest of my  jonin so we can start the rebuilding. I'm still required to go back and forth between the villages. I won't leave completely,"  Ryuusuke explained.

"It would be a good opportunity! I could see where you'll live after you leave Konoha and you guys can have a medic  nin on your team.  Tsunade-sama says I'm nearly at her level." Sakura insisted.

"I guess... it's ok for me, but you'll  have to request it from  Obito -s ensei, I already put out the request for your placement as a medic  nin tutor in  Uzu during the Allied Shinobi Academy period, I don't want him to think I'm kidnapping you or something,"  Ryuusuke joked. Sakura chuckled.

"I'll talk to him first thing in the morning," she said.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Eon might get a bit pissed at me for leaving so soon, but my recovery boosted once my chakra levels got back to normal,  probably due to the  kyuubi . Yuki... she might be disappointed, but she doesn't seem like someone who would get angry. Speaking of them, we have to leave."  Ryuusuke said as his eyes looked at the clock.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"team dinner, in half an hour."  Ryuusuke said. Sakura looked up at the clock before her eyes widened in realization.

"That's right!" She said as she hurried out of  Ryuusuke's makeshift office, before coming back soon after and threw a pile of clothing at him.

"Change!" She said as she left again.  Ryuusuke looked down at t he pile . It was a simple shirt and pants. He sighed, before changing regardless.

"I didn’t know it would be a formal dinner,"  Ryuusuke commented as he buttoned his shirt and walked out into the living room.

"Kakashi-sensei mentioned it to me when I left the hospital earlier, he heard it from Eon who had heard it from Yuki who had talked about it with  Obito -sensei," Sakura said.  Ryuusuke sweat dropped .

"That's was one way to get a message across,"  Ryuusuke commented. Sakura laughed.

"Come on, we have to go," she said with a grin before she dragged  Ryuusuke out of the  apar t ment with her.

-

They had decided to eat at Yakiniku Q, a barbeque restaurant which had increasingly grown in popularity the later years. Sakura and  Ryuusuke were apparently the last ones to arrive, seeing how Kakashi and  Obito were sitting comfortably in the end of their booth, while Yuki and Eon were sitting on one side, having a calm conversation.

"Good evening!" Sakura said as she dragged  Ryuusuke with her to the table.

"Sakura,  Ryuusuke , glad you could join us." Kakashi said with a smile. 

"I see you have gotten yourself some proper clothing,  Ryuusuke ."  Obito commented.  Ryuusuke sneered jokingly back at the  hokage . 

"Couldn't arrive on time though," Eon added. Yuki chuckled.

"Let's order, we've been waiting long enough." Yuki said  soflty . 

Ryuusuke and Sakura sat down on the opposite side of Yuki and Eon, settling nicely in their  sea ts . After a waitress had come and gotten their others, the team waited patiently for their food.

"So  Ryuusuke , what do you think about leaving  again so soon?"  Obito asked.  Ryuusuke could feel several eyes on him.

"As I've said many times, I'm not leaving forever. I'm just going to stay there for one or two weeks, and maybe drop by every now and then to report on the progress to  Ita \-  Katachi , after the rebuilding I'll be back for a couple of days while I organize  Uzushio's departure back. And then I will probably still have to travel back and forth to finalize the details of the Allied Shinobi academy, especially after Kumo,  Suna ,  Iwa and Kiri also wanted to join in on the fun."  Ryuusuke explained.

"After that however, I need to travel to Kumo to put up a transportation seal at the Allied Shinobi HQ, seeing how I was apparently added to the top for some reason,"  Ryuusuke shot an accusing glance at  Obito , who laughed.

"After  that it's the moving in of all the  genin and academy students, and begin the teaching process, which I'm  actually a part of.  So, even though I will be leaving and not exactly stay here for long, I won't completely disappear after tomorrow."  Ryuusuke finished.

"Bah, I still think you could hang around more,"  Obito said with a grin.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"We both know that a  kage can't just disappear from his village, just to hang around,"  Ryuusuke said.  Obito shrugged.

"By all definition, you are a  kage of  Uzu _ and _ a ninja of Konoha, your status didn't actually disappear. You were reported MIA."  Obito said.  Ryuusuke's gaze fell to the table.

"The food's done." Kakashi said, interrupting the conversation. The topic was avoided after that, and the rest of the evening continued to be a pleasant, light hearted conversation on several topics. Somehow, Kakashi and  Obito managed to get something to drink, and it didn't take long before their students realized that it might be a good idea to call it a night.  Ryuusuke and Sakura took Kakashi to bring him home to Iruka, while  Obito ended up going with Eon and Yuki, who were going to hand him off to his assistant,  Nohara Rin.

-

When Sakura and  Ryuusuke arrived at Kakashi and Iruka's apartment, they  were immediately ushered inside by Iruka, who was complaining slightly about Kakashi's  drunkness . After the  chuunin got Kakashi to bed, he quickly made some tea for Sakura and  Ryuusuke ,  not really asking them. However,  Ryuusuke and Sakura had no real reason to say no to their old instructor.

"It's so good to see that you're all doing well, and who would have thought you would end up as the  Uzukage ?" Iruka said to  Ryuusuke as he handed them their cups.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"It wasn't exactly my plan, just how things ended up."  Ryuusuke replied. Iruka smiled as he sat down in a nearby chair.

"I heard you were leaving for  Uzu tomorrow, to rebuild the village? Shouldn't you have more people with you to do that?" Iruka asked.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

" Uzu grew to be a major village due to its advanced  fuinjutsu back in the days, when the village was destroyed, it was because  Iwa and Kumo ganged up on them and broke through the barrier, after being held off for more than a week. Konoha's  reinforcment were on their way, however due to their scattered forces because of the second ninja war, they didn't make it in time. The first, who was the  hokage at the time, was not very pleased about the situation, seeing how  Uzu was the home village to his wife, Uzumaki Mito. She is actually my great grandmother's aunt or  so mtehing ."  Ryuusuke said. 

"If most of the Uzumaki hadn't been wiped off the map or  scattered across the lands to hide from  Iwa and Kumo, they would have gotten back on their feet very soon, because the seal arrays and systems were still safely hidden and kept intact. I used that the first time to raise  Uzu from ruin, and will do it again. However, I'm not sure exactly how the seal will adapt, seeing how  Uzu was reduced to a crater during Pain's attack. I guess I'll just have to wait and see."  Ryuusuke mused. 

"I'm sure things will sort themselves out, I can't wait to see it for myself." Iruka said.  Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, didn't Kakashi tell you? I'm one of the  chuunin instructors that will be joining the academy students to  Uzu to teach, seeing how there was a request for some more teachers after the rest of the great nations also entered the  Uzu academy plan." Iruka explained.  Ryuusuke grinned.

"That's great, Iruka-sensei, Sakura will teach medical  jutsu there too, while I'm going to teach  Fuinjutsu and  Kenjutsu with ninjutsu."  Ryuusuke said excitedly. Iruka smiled softly before looking at the clock.

"Oh my, it's late. You two should get on home." Iruka said.  Ryuusuke shrugged.

"I'm actually going to stay up the entire night and sleep during the day, so that I'm at full rest when we travel tomorrow night."  Ryuusuke commented. Iruka huffed, disappointment traced his voice.

"I'm going to request joining the mission, so I'm staying up with him," Sakura commented and stood up.

"Thank you for the tea, Iruka-sensei. I guess I'll see you around!" Sakura said.  Ryuusuke stood up as well, and went over to shake Iruka's hand goodbye, but was suddenly  engulfed in an embrace.

"Good luck," Iruka said and ruffled  Ryuusuke's hair.

"Iruka-sensei – I can't breathe!"  Ryuusuke's muffled voice sounded. Iruka let him go with a laugh, before showing  Ryuusuke and  Saku ra out the door.

Sakura and  Ryuusuke went home to their apartment, or rather, Kakashi's old apartment. Where they proceeded to drink a lot of coffee, and talk about a lot of stupid stuff. When Sakura's brilliant idea came through.

"What if we have a drink?" Sakura asked.  Ryuusuke looked at her, slightly surprised.

"Are we even old enough to drink?"  Ruusuke asked. Sakura shrugged.

"Civilian rules don't really apply, if your old enough to kill your old enough to drink, though it's hardly recommended. Mostly they say that  chuunin and up will do, or if  you're eighteen. Besides, I want to see what happens when you  lose it, and I can heal whatever hangover you get." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke stared at  her before chuckling.

"What's the worst that can happen? "


	15. Hamako is Too Good For This World

Apparently ,  the worst thing that could happen was many things which ended up in a mess  Ryuusuke would rather not have to  deal with when he one ;  was hung over,  two ;  had not slept  the entire night and  was leaving that evening , and  three ;  had Itachi glaring at him the entire afternoon while Sakura and  himself were blushing messes.

However ,  Kakashi's apartment which had been neatly cleaned for  viewings for  when they were selling it,  was a mess. A total mess. A you-have-to-renovate-the-entire-thing-before-we-do-viewings-kind  of mess. 

In the end,  Ryuusuke didn't even want to start thinking of fixing an apartment when he had to leave to fix an entire village in a couple of hours. After pulling a few strings with  Obito and arranging a deal with the real estate agent Kakashi had,  Ryuusuke officially became a homeowner in Konoha, which would serve as his residence when he was in town, if he was in town. 

So, in the mess that now was  Ryuusuke's apartment, he and Sakura  gatherd whatever equipment they could find. Luckily for  Ryuusuke , most of his belongings were kept safely in seals, while Sakura's belongings weren't really much other than the basic ninja equipment, which wasn't hard to come by. Her other belongings were still at her parents' house, which she hadn't picked up yet. They were  currently on their way to the  Hokage's office to finalize Sakura's placement on the 'let's travel to  Uzu '-team. 

"I mean, now that I  _ own  _ the apartment, why don't you just live there when it's back in shape, you won't have to pay the bills and get away from your parents."  Ryuusuke offered. Sakura nodded.

"Make sure it doesn't have three meters of dust when you get back," Sakura added. 

"Something like that,"  Ryuusuke mused. As they entered the  Hokage tower,  Ryuusuke could sense how tense people were. The fact t hat Ryuusuke and his team was leaving for  Uzushio was a good checkpoint to tell that soon, soon they  would all be going to war.

It didn't take long before Sakura and  Ryuusuke were standing in front of  Obito , who had a teasing smirk decorating his face.

"I see you still haven't lost the headache, now have you? I would take it as a warning. Why in the world did you decide that alcohol was the right solution to whatever you guys were doing?"  Obito asked. Sakura chuckled.

"We found out that  Ryuusuke probably couldn't actually get drunk because of his healing factor given by the  kyuubi , turns out that was wrong. You just need an insane amount of alcohol to get him tipsy, and even more to get him wasted. It was quite amusing. Not even  Kyuubi's healing factor can get rid of the alcohol in his blood very fast, hence the hangover." Sakura explained.

"I'm never doing that again,"  Ryuusuke added.  Obito nodded.

"Back to business, Sakura, you want to join the  Uzu rebuilding team?"  Obito asked. Sakura nodded.

"Not only would it prove to make sure that  Ryuusuke here doesn't disappear forever again, but the lack of any medic  nin on a team  where there are multiple targets of our enemies in the war is not good. I understand that the  jinchuuriki might heal to some degree, but  Jiraiya-sama do not. And if any of the  jinchuuriki were to end up in any sort of trouble, note  Ryuusuke's state once he arrived here, it would be best to have someone experienced enough with medical  jutsu along with them." Sakura stated.  Obito nodded.

"And  Ryuusuke , your take on this?"  Obito asked the blond.

"Sakura has a valid point, the medical part that  is, I assure you once again, I won't just disappear. However, it would perhaps prove to the other nations that  Uzu is trustworthy, having a mixed team. It would be a show of the Allied Shinobi Forces actually coming into play. And also, Sakura seeing  Uzu when it's back in  its full state would give us the option to look at good facilities to put up an actual  hospital and academy."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito nodded.

"Sakura is a valued medic  nin , but seeing how she is already posted as a medic at  Uzu , I see no problem for her to spend some time with the people she will be working with. Note on that, Sakura,  you have a very high probability of being called into the war. Medics are easily targeted by enemy sides, and while  Tsunade is the commander of the medic corps, there is a chance she will need to go the front. Should that time come, you might get called in."  Obtio said. Sakura nodded.

"Right, however seeing how you slept through most of the day, I would recommend you both to pack up and get ready to leave.  Ryuusuke , your apartment will be renovated by the time you are back from  Uzu , me, Iruka and Kakashi decided to lay it out for you so don't worry about it."  Obito added.  Ryuusuke looked up, surprised.

"Why?" He asked.  Obito grinned.

"I mean, it's a good reason to have you visit every now  and then right?"  Obit o replied. "Now get going, twerps." He continued as he waved them out of his office.

-

The trip from  Ryuusuke's apartment to the gate as the sun began to settle was not a quiet one. On every corner he and Sakura were attacked by one person or another with goodbyes and  good lucks . It wasn't that  Ryuusuke minded, but it  wasn't exactly necessary, in his opinion. It wasn't like it would be the last time they saw one another.

Jiraiya was already at the gate when they arrived. Not soon after, Yagura,  Fuu and Roshi arrived not soon  afte , with  Itachi in tow, who of course was under a transformation  jutsu .

" Katachi , what can I help you with?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Itachi gave him a wry smile.

"Came to see you off, not used to you leaving without me all the time yet," he replied.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"I'll report back in two  days' time ."  Ryuusuke promised.  Itachi nodded.

"The blood clone is ready?"  Itachi asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Currently in my tent at the  Uzu camp, stasis by a seal, only takes a pulse to deactivate it and set him loose."  Ryuusuke said shortly. 

"Very well, good luck,  Uzukage-sama ,"  Itachi said before leaving.  Ryuusuke turned to the rest of the group.

"Are we ready to go?" He asked them. They nodded, determined looks mostly, in exception of Yagura who was very impassive.

" Ryuusuke !" A voice shouted before the group started moving. Down the road came Eon, Yuki and the source of the shout,  Hamako .

" Hamako – Eon, Yuki? What are you doing here?"  Ryuusuke asked. Eon scoffed.

"To see you off, dumbass. You have barely been over to see  Hamako so she tagged along." Eon replied. Yuki smiled bright ly before hugging him tightly.

"Be careful! And good luck! " She said.  Ryuusuke hugged her back, squeezing reassuringly.

"I will, we'll be back again before you notice that  we're gone , believe it."  Ryuusuke replied.

Yuki let go of him before  Hamako came to crush his ribs. 

"You're a silly child and if you ever disappear again I will personally hunt you down to the edge of the five nations!  Kushina would have my head in the  afterlife if she ever figured out I lost you twice!"  Hamako said.  Ryuusuke laughed.

"We'll put down the sealing array, and I'll be the test subject for it, so either I'm back here in Konoha or I might be lost in between space and time, you never  kno w with sealing."  Ryuusuke said. The group remained silent.

"It was a joke! I know it's going to work! Joke!"  Ryuusuke exclaimed as he tried to reassure everyone. They stared at him before erupting in laughter.  Jiraiya went over to  Ryuuskue's side, slapping him gently at the back of his head.

"Don't worry  Hamako , I'll take care of him."  Jiraiya reassured.  Hamako nodded in reply. The two shared a look before  Jiraiya turned to the group that was leaving.

"We  should go,"  Jiraiya said.  Ryuusuke nodded.

As they walked down the road,  Ryuusuke took one hesitant look back. A tug at his heart filling him with insecurity. He took a deep shaky breath as he took in Konoha as a whole, before his gaze landed on the stone face of his father. In the end, he knew  Uzu was  his home . But Konoha... Konoha might not want him, but he sure as hell wouldn't cut it out again.

-

The road to  Uzu was uneventful, as was the boat ride over the ocean. However, as the group stood at the edge of the crater that once was  Uzushio ,  Ryuusuke let out a shaky breath. 

"This... this is the power of Akatsuki?"  Jiraiya asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"It was barely a moment. Over there,"  Ryuusuke pointed to a cliff like area not far from where they were standing.

"That over there is the entrance to the tunnel we use for evacuation during an emergency, it is the only completely intact due to me protecting it with the  kyuubi chakra."  Ryuusuke said. No one replied, only staring ahead to the barren area that was once  Uzushio .

"Come on, we need to get to the second island to put up the sealing array, it's not safe to put it anywhere close to where we're going to build, seeing how we don't exactly know how the village will rebuild itself this time."  Ryuusuke said and lead the way. 

-

Jiraiya had always fancied himself as quite the seal- master . However, despite all of his years with knowledge, he had never come across anything as large and  intricate  as what  Ryuusuke was currently laying down in a large clearing.  Ryuusuke was leading the brush of ink with such experienced grace that  Jiraiya found himself questioning what he had done, however it became evident that  Ryuusuke was nothing short of a prodigy when it came to sealing.

" Jiraiya , if you can  lay down the four-cornered isolation formula around the designated seal area, that would be great."  Ryuusuke called without even sparing  Jiraiya a glance, in total focus of the job at hand.  Jiraiya huffed  slightly but did as asked regardless.

After a couple of hours, the massive seal was drawn on the clearing.  Ryuusuke looked at his little ensemble of ninja.

" Kat achi and the others should have the seal ready in a moment,  Uzu on me."  Ryuusuke said. His fellow  jinchuuriki went over to him  immediately.

"Remember, only add your chakra to mine when I start to deplete, remember to have the flow even, if I  lo se focus the seal will blow up in my face,"  Ryuusuke said.  Fuu , Roshi and Yagura nodded. 

Ryuusuke laid his hands down on the seal, eyes closing in focus as he let his chakra follow the path led out in ink before him. The seal gradually started to glow in a soft, white light before  Ryuusuke snapped his eyes open, his eyes flickering in gold before turning back to their normal, blue  color . 

A flush of chakra from his fellow  jinchuuriki entered him as he continued to power the seal, before  Ryuusuke lifted his hands to form a series of hand signs before slamming one hand down at the seal, the other forming a  one-handed sign. 

He stumbled backwards with a staggering breath, as Roshi was quick to support him. Sakura hurried over and quickly ran a  diagnosic jutsu on him.

"It's fine, just a chakra  drain ,"  Ryuusuke muttered as Sakura's hands hovered above him.

"Just want to make sure," Sakura mumbled softly before the green chakra around her hands disappeared.

"Right, I'll see if the seal works tomorrow. We should head to the vault and get some proper rest."  Ryuusuke said as he stood up, Roshi still holding onto his shoulder for support.

"Roshi, it's fine,"  Ryuusuke tried, however Roshi shook his head.

"I have orders to keep you supported during the entire process of rebuilding  Uzushio ,  Ryuusuke-sama ," Roshi said.  Ryuusuke huffed.

"Drop the ' sama ', please."  Ryuusuke said. Roshi shook his head with merit.

The  Uzukage's mansion was the only building which was somewhat recognisable. The structure itself was fine, however there was a lot of large rocks and debris covering it, seeing how Pain's attack had simply shoved everything into the sea, except for the mansion which was very carefully guarded by seals.  Ryuusuke used the shadow clone  jutsu for most of the work, clearing out a way into the mansion, which had seen better days inside as well. Furniture was covered in layers of dust, and most of it looked like it had remained untouched for centuries.

"I mainly spent my time on the first floor, and mostly in the main wing. This is the place where the first and second  uzukage's servants lived during the clan warring era and the first and second shinobi war."  Ryuusuke explained as they headed down the abandoned hallway. 

They went past what presumably was the main entrance, into a large room where a desk was seated in front of a window, from which you could see the ruins of  Uzu .  Ryuusuke went over to the desk, before grabbing a kunai and cutting the palm of his hand lightly, letting blood fall onto the desk. He  channeled his chakra into what could now be recognised as a seal.

The wall next to the desk, made of stone and had a large mural of the Uzumaki clan mark on it, suddenly shook slightly before pushing backwards, revealing a staircase.

"Follow me,"  Ryuusuke said as he went down the stairs.

The vault was like a library, filled with scrolls and books, weapons,  armour and sealing equipment. It was a large room, and at the opposite end of the staircase one could see an alter like  structure with the Uzumaki clan mark on it.

"That there  is the seal which  Uzushio's very being is in. Here I can activate the defences, rebuild the village, as well as destroy it. It takes an insane amount of chakra, and though the Uz umaki were known for  their reserves, it took around ten of them to activate the seal, and as many to rebuild the village after  an attack during the first war. They decided that it was too dangerous to use, seeing how it nearly brought them to chakra depletion. It has  later been a secret among the Uzumaki clan house. It called me here after I escaped the Akatsuki, like it has a mind of its own."  Ryuusuke explained.

"The vault has its own set of defences which will allow us to remain hidden, the village defences won't be up until I've fixed the seals around the island, so it will have to wait. This means that we remain in here until the village is rebuilt to make sure the Akatsuki can't find us, should they decide to scout the area."  Ryuusuke continued. The group with him nodded.

"Right,  uhm ... I guess we can all go to sleep then,"  Ryuusuke said with a half-hearted chuckle.

-

The next morning,  Ryuusuke was quick to send shadow clones out on the island to check on minor seals which directed the defences around  Uzushio . In the meanwhile, the original  Ryuusuke went to the large teleportation seal.

"The other part is activated,"  Ryuusuke said. "I can sense it through this seal, so the only thing left to do is see if it works. Shadow clone first, of course,"  Ryuusuke said and made a shadow clone. The clone went onto the seal, making a couple of hand signs before disappearing in a white flash.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Everything seems to be in order, I'll go report. I'll be back in an hour or two. Roshi, why don't you clean the interior of the mansion while I'm  gona , since you're not going to be there to baby me."  Ryuusuke said with a sweet smile. Roshi  huffed but nodded regardless.

"I'll be off then," he said and went into the seal. He repeated the hand signs before he too, disappeared in a white flash.

Teleportation had always been disorientating, and though  Ryuusuke had grown to be more used to it after learning his bastardized version of the  hiraishin , he still got slightly nauseas when travelling long distances.

He appeared in the training field in Konoha where they had placed the  seal and was quickly met with nearby ANBU.

"Relax,"  Ryuusuke said. "It's just plain old me," he said as he started to walk towards the  Uzushio camp.

Upon arrival, he was pleased to see that  noen of  Uzu's citizens had made an uproar of any sort, but rather making fit with the support they were given from Konoha. When some of them spotted him as he got closer, he was quickly surrounded by the civilians, greeting him and wishing him a good day.  Ryuusuke smiled  politely  and took the time to respond to every single one. 

" Uzukage-sama ,"  Itachi's voice sounded over the crowds,  surprisnigly enough due to the  stoicness of the Uchiha.

" Itachi ,"  Ryuusuke greeted.

"I see the teleportation seal works as planned?"  Itachi asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Time to get the rest of the  jinchuuriki for back up for the rebuild,"  Ryuusuke said.  Itachi nodded.

"I will get them ready and meet you at the seal training ground. I presume you will see the  Hokage now?"  Itachi asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Very well, I'll have them be there in two hours then."  Itachi said and walked away.  Ryuusuke chuckled, but  manoeuvred his way into the hidden leaf village.

Ryuusuke went on his way to the  Hokage's office, not really caring to stop by anything else on the way. The reception was less noisy today than  usual, in addition to having a much shorter line. 

It didn't take long before he was guided to the office, where he was quickly led inside.

" Ryuusuke ,"  Obito adressed as he entered.  Ryuusuke smiled.

" Hokage-sama ,"  Ryuusuke replied smugly.  Obito wrinkled his nose. 

"It sounds weird when you say it," he said.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"The teleportation seal was a success, the rebuilding of  Uzu will begin as soon as possible, and hopefully be  fully ready to move into in a month."  Ryuusuke said.  Obito nodded.

"Before you start rebuilding, you need to remember to put up the minor transportation seal in Kumo, if I need to remind you of that."  Obito said with a grin.  Ryuusuke paled for a moment.

"I'll send a blood clone immediately,"  Ryuusuke muttered.  Obito nodded.

"In addition, you have a position in the five – technically six –  kage war council."  Obito started. "This means that you will actually have to attend meetings with the rest of us in Kumo, hence the importance of your teleportation seal,"  Obito sad.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"This also means that  Uzu will be recognised as a major country, perhaps not a great nation yet, but there are political  interests you must remember to take have in mind,"  Obito continued.

"In addition, I would like to show the other nations that Konoha and  Uzu already have a strong alliance,"  Obito said.  Ryuusuke nodded. 

"First of all, I would like to tell you that your family, children you may or may not have, will always be welcomed in Konoha. In addition, should your people ever be in need, Konoha will be there as soon as we can."  Obito said.

"Of course, the same will be extended to Konoha from us,"  Ryuusuke said.  "And the Uzumaki clan mark can very well remain on the  jonin vests, in addition, a leaf symbol will be in the design in the  jonin vests we have yet to make, if you don't have any objections."  Ryuusuke continued.

"That sounds great,  Ryuusuke . Anyway, thank you for the update, but I have other matters that need my attention. I would recommend you to say hi to Yuki and Eon to tell them that you didn't get lost in between the space time continuum. Also, the blood clone,"  Obito said.  Ryuusuke grinned.

"Of course,  Obito -sensei," he said before disappearing in a body flicker. 

-

Ryuus uke made the blood clone as soon as he was outside the tower, letting it leave for Kumo by itself. In the remaining hour before he was leaving for  Uzu again, he decided that he should visit Yuki and Eon as advised from  Obito . 

He went to Yuki's place first, feeling like he owed it to  Hamako to visit. A knock on the door and just a couple of seconds of waiting was all that was needed for him to be engulfed in an embrace faster than he could move.

" Ryuusuke !"  Hamako's delighted voice said, muffled by him being pressed into her chest.

"Hey,  Hamako ,"  Ryuusuke tried to say, but he was sure that it was barely audible. 

Hamako let him go a second after, opening the door for him as she stepped aside.

"Come in, come in!" She said and ushered him inside.  Ryuusuke stepped into the familiar home, feeling the warmth and love the Uzumaki's offered the moment he entered.

"How have you been?"  Ryuusuke asked as he sat down in the couch.  Hamako sat down next to him.

"I've been fine, a little restless because of the war preparations, but fine nonetheless."  Hamako said. 

"Tell me about it, I've been  whacking my head around all the paperwork I've been given since I got out of the hospital,"  Ryuusuke said.  Hamako laughed.

"Yuki?"  Ryuusuke asked. 

"She's on a B-rank mission with Eon, they left not long after you did,"  Hamako replied.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"I see, well then, I guess we can use my remaining hour together then,"  Ryuusuke said with a smile.  Hamako chuckled.

"I have at least something I want you to look at,"  Hamako said and headed into the house, which  Ryuusuke vaguely remembered being where the bedrooms and bathroom were. She came back with three large books which she placed gently  on the table.

"These are albums, that one there is  Kushina's from her childhood, while the other is Minato's, the last one is their shared album."  Hamako explained.  Ryuusuke gently reached for  Kushina's album.

Several photos of  Uzushio back before it was destroyed during the war, with  Hamako and  Kushina entering the academy, her father and mother, moving to Konoha, her and some other old Uzumaki didn't recognise, the Konoha academy, her  genin team and so on. Minato's album was basically the same, but he only had a picture of his mother and father before pictures from the academy.

The last album however, had so many wonderful pictures. First date pictures,  anniverseries , wedding, when Minato became  Hokage , when they learned that  Kushina was pregnant, preparing the nursery... the album wasn't filled at all, it had so much more space.  Ryuusuke felt his chest tighten.

"... Hamako , what were they like?"  Ryuusuke croaked out.  Hamako smiled softly at him, meeting his gaze.

"They were some of the most wonderful people I know.  Kushina might have been reckless, brash and loud, but she was kind and loyal beyond measure, and she loved all her precious people dearly. There was nothing she wouldn't do for them, except for one thing."  Hamako said.  Ryuusuke looked up at her. "She would never have put you in danger,"  Hamako said.

"Minato was a genius by all rights, intellectual, creative, a true leader. He also was  kind  but could be very dangerous when he wanted to. His loyalty towards his precious people was nearly scare, as he would easily defy every rule if it meant protecting them. He was very careful with trusting people, but once you had earned it, it meant more than any treasure. He trusted you more than anyone, and he knew you for barely an hour. They were both certain you would become  Hokage at some point, but I guess  Uzukage isn't so far off,"  Hamako mused.  Ryuusuke looked at the picture of his parents, gently holding around  Kushina's belly, which clearly showed her pregnancy.

"Dad told me, in my mind scape when the  Kyuubi was nearly set free, that he believed in me. That he placed the  Kyuubi in me because he thought I could control its power."  Ryuusuke said. "But why was the  Kyuubi there? What happened that night?"  Ryuusuke asked.

"I don't know much about the events themselves, but...  Kushina was the  jinchuuriki of the  kyuubi before you."  Hamako explained.  Ryuusuke's eyes widened. "She and I moved to Konoha because she was to become the  jinchuuriki , and I didn't want her to be alone. During birth, the seal containing the  bijuu is weak, and someone most have exploited that.  However, everyone present in the birth was killed."  Hamako continued. " Kushina survived the extraction of the  kyuubi , a miracle by itself, however the  kyuubi was now free in the village. She and Minato fought to their last breath to protect the village, and you. In the end, Minato sealed the  kyuubi in you, the only person he would trust with such a task."  Hamako finshed .  Ryuusuke sighed.

"In addition to that, how could any  kage ask one of his people to sacrifice something he wasn't willing to?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Hamako nodded. She brought an arm around  Ryuusuke's shoulder, pushing him into an embrace.

"Your parents are most certainly very proud of what you have become,"  Hamako muttered.  Ryuusuke leaned into her embrace.

"Thank you," he whispered. 

-

The remaining time before  Ryuusuke had to leave was spent with  Hamako telling  Ryuusuke stories about her and  Kushina's childhood, in addition to when  Kushina and Minato started to hang out and how utterly lost in love Minato was. After that  Ryuusuke bid  Hamako goodbye and went back to the Seal training ground.  Utakata ,  Yugito , Han and Bee were already there waiting for him.

"Hey, guys!"  Ryuusuke said as he entered the clearing. The other's stood up quickly, lining up next to each other.

"What did I say about that? It's only us here, don't worry about the formalities."  Ryuusuke waved as he walked over to them. The  jonins relaxed visibly.

"Are you all ready to go home?"  Ryuusuke asked with a smile. They nodded in unison, determination burning like fire in their eyes.

"Alright, everyone needs to hold onto me, preferably latching on with chakra to not lose their grip."  Ryuusuke said as he stood in the middle of the seal.

"I will teleport us, so don't worry about  transfering chakra.  However, I must stress the importance that we are all connected."  Ryuusuke said. They nodded as they all grabbed him by the arms, two on each side of him.

"Ready?" He asked. 

"Yes," they replied in unison.

Ryuusuke weaved through the hand signs, before they all disappeared in a white flash.

-

In a moment they were back in  Uzu , where they were met by  Fuu . 

" Uzukage-sama !" She said over enthusiastically.

"Hello  Fuu , I trust everyone is alright?"  Ryuusuke asked. She nodded quickly.

"They are in the mansion, we're ready to begin whenever you are." She said.  Ryuusuke nodded. 

"We will wait two days, a blood clone of mine is on its way to Kumo to apply another transportation seal, which I must set up in one of the attachment rooms to my office."  Ryuusuke explained as they started to walk towards the  Uzukage mansion.

"I trust Roshi did as told and prepared the place?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Fuu nodded.

"He got the bedrooms ready first, so everyone has a quarter ready for them,"  Fuu responded.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Good," he said

"The protection seals around the village are also in top conditions, we are ready to activate them whenever,"  Fuu said.  Ryuusuke nodded again.

"I'll have a look at it tomorrow, transporting many people takes a drain. We will activate the defences with the collective power of the  jinchuuriki tomorrow, then we will rest until I'm done with the transportation seal, I will rest for a day and then we will start rebuilding."  Ryuusuke explained.  Fuu nodded.

"Inform the others of that, I'm going to take a nap,"  Ryuusuke said as he yawned. Bee chuckled behind him.

"The  kage needs rest, that is for the best! Yeah!" He tried to rap.  Ryuusuke stif led a groan.

"Bee, don't make me gut you," Han said from his side.

"Behave you two,"  Yugito cut in sharply-

"The kitty is feisty,"  Utakata muttered.  Ryuusuke chuckled. They never changed.

As they entered the mansion, they were quickly approached by the rest of their current team.

" Jiraiya , I trust you have found yourself comfortable?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Jiraiya nodded.

"This place gave me some cool ideas for a book, I've been taking it easy the entire day." He said with a grin.  Ryuusuke looked to Sakura, who suddenly blushed and looked away.  Ryuusuke raised an  eyebrow in confusion but decided against asking now.

" Utakata , please wake me up in two hours. We'll have a small meeting then. I need to sleep first,"  Ryuusuke muttered. "Go do some stuff, but no injuries or exhaustion cases,"  Ryuusuke said. As he walked towards his bedroom, he noticed Sakura following him. As he arrived at his quarters, he held the door open for her as she stepped inside.

"Did something happen?" He asked her as she stood in the room, almost out of place. 

" No,  I just... I asked about the last time you rebuilt the village." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke flinched as he averted his gaze from her.

"A coma,  Ryuusuke ! A coma." She stated. "Not only did you nearly die in the seal, but even after the seal stopped draining  y our chakra, you were out of it for  way too long , with even more in recovery time." Sakura said. 

"We're better prepared this time,"  Ryuusuke said. 

"Are you?" Sakura asked.  Ryuusuke remained quiet. She went over to him, standing mere inches away.

"I won't forgive you if you get hurt again, do you know what you're doing? You might think that this is some  self-sacrifice kind of thing, but it's not! You have people who care about you! Do you know how they feel when you leave them behind?" Sakura asked. 

" Of course, I do! But this is for the village's best – we're at war!"  Ryuusuke argued. Sakura looked up at him.

"We are at war to protect everyone! If you die a meaningless death before that, what are we really fighting for?" Sakura asked. 

"Freedom? A world without the looming threat of the Akatsuki?"  Ryuusuke stated. 

" There isn't any meaning to freedom if there's no one left to fight for!" Sakura argued.

"I won't die! Nothing will happen!"  Ryuusuke countered. 

"How do you know?" Sakura asked.  Ryuusuke stared at her.

"This time, I know I have something to protect!"  Ryuusuke said. Sakura stopped. The words she had ready faltered on their way to her mouth.

"I do to, but do you know how hard it is to protect someone who has so little  self-preservation ?" She asked.  Ryuusuke stared at her.

"I have it under control,"  Ryuusuke said. He grabbed Sakura's hand, pulling her into an embrace. He could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and his t-shirt suddenly started to soak up. Sakura hid her face in his chest, and he could feel his heart starting to beat faster. He leaned his head down, resting it on Sakura's. He gently led her to his bed, because he could feel the exhaustion from teleporting many people wearing him down.

He laid down on the soft bed, the  Uzukage's chambers were the most comfortable of all the rooms in the mansion, and Sakura rested on his chest, reminding herself that he wasn't going  to  disappear . It didn't take long for  Ryuusuke to fall asleep, and Sakura in her peacefulness dozed off after a while as well.  Ryuusuke didn't know why, but having Sakura there suddenly felt like the best decision he had ever made.

-

Ryuusuke wasn't waked up after two hours, in fact, he slept to the next day. He woke up to Sakura being snuggled to his side, which wasn't something he was complaining about,  b ut nonetheless he felt like his instructions had been abandoned due to his  jonin imagining things.

He went to one of the two rooms connected to his, one of them being his office, and the other being an empty space. He started to make the layout for the transportation seal that would connect him to the war council  head quarters . He received the memories from his blood clone not long after, verifying that the other seal was set up and ready. After two hours, he had the seal ready. 

Activating the seal took quite a lot of chakra, but he considered it  payback for the others  neglecting his instructions to be awoken. Once the seal was activated he created a shadow  clone . The clone teleported through the seal, and while  Ryuusuke had no doubt that it would work, he knew it was better to test with clones first. Once the clone dispelled on the other side he decided to report to the  Raikage . The man and  Ryuusuke weren't exactly on good terms after the five  kage summit incident, but he knew how to be professional. He scribbled a note and left it on the door to his bedroom.

Ryuusuke walked over to the  centre of the seal,  swiftly going through the hand signs before disappearing in a white flash.

The headquarters for the allied shinobi forced were by no doubt large, and his presence  was quickly alerted to the  raikage who was the only one currently there. He walked to the office where the five  kage soon would be seated, and the doors opened the moment he arrived.

" Uzukage-dono , what do I owe the pleasure?" The  Raikage asked.  Ryuusuke nodded to the other  kage .

" Raikage ," he  addressed first. "The seal is working as it should, I will leave instructions on how to make it work for you and the other  kage's pleasure if you so should decide you need to go to  Uzu immediately. There should be no problem with contacting each other."  Ryuusuke said. The  raikage nodded in  affirm ation . 

"Good,  it's nice to see a young one actually knowing how to keep to the point. Now, it is not wrong of me to assume that my brother is at your village?" The  Raikage asked.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

"Bee is in perfect health, and one of my commanders."  Ryuusuke replied. The  Raikage's lips pressed together in a thin line. 

"Now,  while I would love to chat more, I have more pressing duties on my hand.  Raikage ,"  Ryuusuke addressed formally before nodding politely and walking for the door. 

"You should watch yourself,  Uzukage . Your village has a habit of being levelled to the ground." The  Raikage said.  Ryuusuke stopped, he turned to his fellow  kage , eyes red and slit like  a cat . 

"I would like to remind you that unlike other villages, my village knows that the  infrastructure itself can be rebuilt, however loss of people  cann ot . No one in my village will die, I will make  sure of that. And I would like  ** you ** to watch yourself instead. I would like to remind you that my village is  small but has more power than any of your villages combined."  Ryuusuke said. His eyes turned back to their normal blue, with  Ryuusuke smiling politely. " Raikage ," he said once last  time  before leaving. 

Once he returned to  Uzushio , he was quickly thrown into a wall by a familiar pink haired kunoichi.

"How  _ dare  _ you leave without telling anyone?" Sakura asked as she marched over him.  Ryuusuke laughed, his hands up in his  defense .

"Sakura, I was in Kumo talking with the  raikage , I didn't want to wake you."  Ryuusuke said with a smile.  Ryuusuke stood up, brushing off his clothes. 

"Now, it is time to activate the village defences, I must gather the  jinchuuriki ,"  Ryuusuke said and began to walk out, Sakura following behind him with a slightly sour expression. 

The  jinchuuriki were all sitting in one of the many  living rooms in the mansion, when  Ryuusuke entered they all whipped their heads towards him in surprise.

"Everyone, I see you all took your sweet time in waking me up. I've just been in Kumo talking with the  R aikage . It's time to  activate the defences, get off your butts."  Ryuusuke said, his voice going from an overly sweet to a dead serious in the span of a second.

The  jinchuuriki stood up, following  Ryuusuke to the vault. The vault was as dimly lit as ever, and regardless of Sakura and  Jiraiya's wishes, they were asked to stay in  Ryuusuke's office while the rest of them activated the seal.  Ryuusuke looked to his fellow  jinchuuriki determined, before he felt Bee placing a hand on his shoulder. He knew that  Fuu would take Bee's other hand, while  Utakata would hold her other, that chain would follow to Han, then Roshi, followed by Yagura and finished by  Yugito . 

"Ready?"  Ryuusuke asked. They nodded.  Ryuusuke took a deep breath before placing his hand on the defence seal. 

" _ Activate,"  _ Ryuusuke said. The room lit up in a gentle gold, the  jinchuuriki feeling their collected chakra gathering through the  Uzukage . Then, a gentle light could be seen from underneath  Ryuusuke's shirt, not where his  jinchuuriki seal was, like they could have expected, but a circular glow from his chest.  Ryuusuke opened his eyes, they were split like when he was  channeling the  kyuubi chakra, but his eyes were gold.

Outside, one could see the shimmering of a slight golden barrier surrounding the islands that made of the land of whir lpool, guiding themselves up towards the point over the  centre of the village. When it all connected, a wave of golden energy washed over the land, and you could feel the pure  en ergy it emitted. 

In the vault, the  jinchuuriki were all gathered around  Ryuusuke , who was kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" Roshi asked as he let  Ryuusuke lean into his shoulder.  Ryuusuke nodded slowly.

"Exhausted, but alright."  Ryuusuke replied. Han, easily being the largest of the group, swept  Ryuusuke up in his arms. Bee and Roshi started to walk out,  Fuu and  Utakata flanking Han's sides while Yagura and  Yugito made up the rear as they followed Han out of the vault. Sakura and  Jiraiya looked at them in alarm once they went passed, but Roshi stopped by them.

"He's just exhausted, he'll need some rest. The defences are up and working, so don’t worry about any attack. Sakura-san, if you could monitor the  Uzukage so his state doesn't suddenly worsen?" Roshi asked. Sakura nodded and hurried into  Ryuusuke's bedroom, where the blond had been placed on the bed, Han and  Utakata standing by the main door, while Yagura was stationed in the teleportation  room . Bee stood by the door  seperating the office and the bedroom, in the office.

"Is the security this important?" Sakura asked. Han nodded.

"Now that Kumo has direct access to the village, we need to make sure we don't get any sudden visitors considering that  Ryuusuke needs rest,"  Utakata replied. 

"We don't slack off when it comes to his protection," Han added. Sakura nodded slowly.

"I see," she said softly as she looked at  Ryuusuke , who had now fallen asleep. She placed her hands above  Ryuusuke's abdomen, green chakra surrounding her hands as she ran the diagnostic  jutsu . 

"He only needs rest, if he suddenly gets worse notify me. I'm going to be training in the dojo, so you can find me there," Sakura said as she stood up.  Utakata nodded softly.

"I will find you if something happens," he said. Sakura nodded  affirmatively before leaving.

-

Ryuusuke woke up after a couple of  hours and was quick to ask  Utakata to fetch him like, five cups of coffee. He got one, despite his arguing. 

"The defences seem to be stronger than ever, however I must ask about that mark on your chest."  Utakata said as he put the cup of coffee on  Ryuusuke's bed side table. 

"I'm not entirely sure myself, it appeared there after the  Kyuubi nearly broke free. However, the demonic chakra's red has been tinged  sli g htly with gold, and when fighting  P ain it was purely golden. The  Kyuubi also said something about not being able to break out."  Ryuusuke replied. "Though I wouldn't be able to control the chakra anyway, I would as he  said; 'become a demon of my own',"  Ryuusuke grabbed the cup, sipping carefully. 

"Perhaps there is still an idea to go to that island Bee talked about,"  Utakata said.  Ryuusuke hummed. 

"There isn't that much time for that, between rebuilding and creating the Allied Shinobi Academy,  Jiraiya also wanted to train me, and the  Kyuubi isn't a problem of outmost importance "  Ryuusuke replied. "You can have the others leave their posts, I don't  see why you decided to do that in the first place,"  Ryuusuke said. 

"The teleportation seal, we wouldn't want anyone walking in on you in an incapacitated state,"  Utakata replied.  Ryuusuke nodded shortly.

"Right, regardless of that I want everyone to rest. We will start the rebuilding tomorrow,"  Ryuusuke said as he took another sip of his coffee. 

" Ryuusuke , are you sure it is wise to do that?"  Utakata asked.  Ryuusuke shot him a look.

"I stand by what I said, we will go through with the rebuilding  seal . We need  Uzu back to full  streng th as soon as possible, and time is of the essence."  Ryuusuke said.

"The seal barely draws on anyone else's chakra, we're so close to you running out every time, and we still don't know if the  bijuu chakra from the rest of us have the possibility to poison your system or not."  Utakata argued. 

"It will be fine, we did it once, we can do it again,"  Ryuusuke stated.

"You know what the consequences were the last time,"  Utakata said.

"We also were completely unprepared last time,  Utakata . We're doing it. You're dismissed."  Ryuusuke put the cup down on the table hard, a crack appearing on the edge.

" Ryuusuke –" 

"You're dismissed. Get everyone to rest up, I don't want to see anyone  at the moment ,"  Ryuusuke said. 

Utakata nodded stiffly before turning his heel. Han  followed him, having been silent during the entire exchange.  Ryuusuke could feel Yagura using the body flicker out of the teleportation room, while Bee left his office.  Ryuusuke sighed as he fell back on his pillow. He closed his eyes as he took deep breaths.

** "What do you want, brat?"  ** The deep voice of the  Kyuubi asked.  Ryuusuke opened his eyes. He had never truly  understood the mind  scape , he was standing in  ankl e deep water, the walls around him like a cave, reflecting the water in a bluish hue. 

"I want to know about what the hell happened when you almost broke out, what was that seal? What was that chakra?"  Ryuusuke asked. His voice echoed in the room. The bars holding in the  Kyuubi were made of metal, a slip of paper with the kanji for seal  separated the large gates.

** "Why should I tell you anything? You are but my jailor living a pitiful, mortal existence,"  ** The  kyuubi said .

"I thought we had come to some sort of understanding when I started using your chakra by allowing you sight of the outside world," **** Ryuusuke said. The  kyuubi growled.

** "You could never hope to understand me,"  ** The  kyuubi said darkly.  Ryuusuke pressed his lips together. 

"I don't understand you, and I don't understand this situation. Perhaps you could help me with both?"  Ryuusuke asked. The  Kyuubi's gaze shifted to something of confusion. "I mean, you can say all you want of being the incarnation of hate and all that, but there is no one who doesn't deserve a chance of being something other than what they were stapled as being."  Ryuusuke said, his hand  tightening to a fist.

"The golden chakra, the mark on my chest, what does it mean? Why were you so quick to resign to being imprisoned? What changed?"  Ryuusuke asked. The  Kyuubi huffed.

** "You're an ignorant  ** ** buffoon, but I guess I could give you a hand ** " The  Kyuubi said darkly.  ** "I can't escape because of that blasted mark ** ** and my poisonous chakra is being filtered by it to a certain degree. I have no  ** ** choice ** **** ** but ** ** to forever be your prisoner."  ** The  kyuubi said.

"… If I removed the seal here, what would happen?"  Ryuusuke asked. 

** "I am connected to that other seal, so all that would happen is that you would make all my chakra flush into your system, incredibly stupid and dangerous considering that it's still  ** ** malicious ** **. You would die if you don't control it with your own."  ** The  kyuubi replied. 

"If there is a second seal, is there a second mind scape?"  Ryuusuke asked, he sat down in the water, feeling the coolness of it soak his clothing, strangely enough considering it was in his mind.

** "There is, the second seal is made for you being able to hold all the nine  ** ** bijuu ** **. Since you have been exposed to  ** ** all of ** ** their chakra, you should also be able to  ** ** reach ** ** the shared mind scape of the  ** ** jinchuuriki ** **."  ** The  kyuubi replied. 

"We have a shared mind scape?"  Ryuusuke asked. The  kyuubi nodded. "That's awesome,"  Ryuusuke said. "how do I reach it?" He asked. 

** "Figure it out, genius. Get out, that pink haired girl ** **** ** is ** ** outside your door,"  ** The  kyuubi huffed as  Ryuusuke was pushed out the mind scape.

" Ryuusuke ?" Sakura's voice called out as she made her way through the door.  Ryuusuke jumped out of his bed, slightly wobbly due to his exhaustion. 

"Sakura," he said as he made her way over to her. Sakura met him halfway, concern clear across her face as she took a good look at him. 

"Please go back to bed, I need to check your vitals again," Sakura said as she guided  Ryuusuke back towards the bed.  Ryuusuke complied, albeit being slightly annoyed over the constant fuss.

"I'm fine," he said as he sat down. Sakura chuckled as she raised her hands, green chakra surrounding them as she guided them over his body.

"It doesn't matter if you only say you're fine, I'm a medic and have to do these  check-ups ." She said before gently patting his cheek.

"Vitals are good, but your chakra reserves are a little low, so  dizzyness and exhaustion isn't abnormal.  You need rest," Sakura stated with a smile.  Ryuusuke nodded. 

"I thought I specifically ordered everyone to stay away from me,"  Ryuusuke said. Sakura nodded. 

"You did, but I also said that I needed to check on you if your condition changed, which it did. Medic's orders  goes above a  kage who just passed out from chakra exhaustion." Sakura said.  Ryuusuke snorted before leaning back against the pillow again.

"I'm glad you're here, Sakura,"  Ryuusuke said softly. Sakura raised an eyebrow. 

"Really?" She asked amused.  Ryuusuke nodded with a chuckle.

"Really. The last few weeks with you, living with you, they've been nice. It feels good to have someone to be with,"  Ryuusuke said. Sakura smiled softly at him. She climbed into the bed, laying down next to the blond and grabbed his hand.

"I agree," Sakura mumbled as she snuggled into  Ryuusuke , taking in his scent, listening to his breathing, his heartbeat. Not just  feel ing like this was some sort of dream, but  actually a reality she was living in.

"Sakura, repeatedly since I returned to Konoha, all I've heard is how people don't want me to leave. How they want me to promise them that I won't  disappear. H owever, I don't think any of them can begin to comprehend that if anything, I want you to promise to me; that you won't disappear."  Ryuusuke mumbled as he turned to face Sakura, faces inches apart as he stared into those brilliant emerald eyes.

Sakura's hand reached up to gently caress  Ryuusuke's face, tracing the whisker-like birthmarks on his cheeks. 

"I won't disappear," she whispered. 

~~

Yuki could feel the  tenseness of the room as she stood next to Eon, Yuki dressed in the standard  jonin uniform, while Eon was dressed more  formally than usual, but evidently not as a  chuunin or a  jonin due to her actual rank as a  genin . Eon had been made an exception, most  genin were to remain in Konoha, away from the front lines, however after a proper  assesment of Eon's skill, she was quickly added to the forces. 

They were all lined up, all  jonin and high ranked  chuunin in Konoha. In addition to Eon that is. Yuki could see between the forms of the shinobi council, who were lined in front, the serious face of her sensei, the  hokage . 

Obito was eyeing his forces carefully, and the unspoken words were hanging in the air like a weight upon everyone's shoulders.

"Shinobi of Konoha,"  Obito's voice called out. "Today marks the official beginning... of the  fourth Great Ninja War," The shinobi in the room remained silent. "Tomorrow, we will dispatch all ninja, minus half of the  genin forces, to  Kumogakure . Where you will be sorted with the proper equipment, the squad you will be working in, in the platoon and position you will be in. As of tomorrow, you will not be a shinobi of Konoha, but a shinobi in the Allied Shinobi Forces."  Obito took another look over his forces. "Preparations will be done by the end of the month, and the only thing that follows is war. I would like to remind you all, as shinobi born and bred hidden in leaves, to never let the Will of Fire burn out."  Obito said. He finished, a pause  momentarily running through the troops before they all exclaimed in unison;

"Yes, sir!"

~~

Ryuusuke walked down the hallway to the Vault, the dim light barely illuminating his path as he looked ahead. The other  jinchuuriki , including  Gaara who had arrived during the night, were walking behind him.  Gaara , his best friend, had voiced his concern that morning. Easily deflected as the rest, and in the  end, they disregarded the topic of rebuilding the village and cleared the air between them.  Finally coming back to their old relationship, that strong unending friendship they had.

"It is highly likely that the seal will try to deplete my chakra before drawing on any of yours,"  Ryuusuke said as they all lined around the seal. "And while I'm not too scared to draw on the  kyuubi chakra, I would rather not. I don't know how violent the outcome could be. Bee,  Fuu , Yagura,  Yugito , you are more in control of your  biju than the rest of us, it will be easier if you supply your chakra first. Do you understand?"  Ryuusuke asked. They nodded. He turned towards the seal again.

"Then let's begin," he whispered as he placed his hand on the seal.

-

Uzushio was currently a crater,  Jiraiya noted. He had decided to sit on top of the  Uzukage mansion as the rebuilding was to begin. He was interested to see how the village would rebuild. Then, a deep rumble ran through the island, a shaking so massive that  Jiraiya thought it was an earthquake. 

Suddenly, three holes exploded out from the  sides of the crater, approximately at the same height as the evacuation tunnel . Soon after, a torrent of water forced its way through the holes, filling the crater's bottom like a lake. Black ink started to appear in areas, and soon after wood took their place. Raising several wooden poles up from the lake. These poles were the foundations of bridges of a beautifully  intricate design. The wood was a deep brown, while traces of golden metal formed extravagant details. In the middle of the  crater, a tower started to erect.  Jiraiya recognised the architecture as a traditional styled one, and once it was fully built water sprouted out of it like a fountain, flowing down from the top like small waterfalls. The walls of the towers were made of a smooth white stone, while the roofs a golden like tint. On the roof of the tower, the  uzumaki swirls was proudly displayed,  however it was golden  coloured . The kanji for ' Uzu ' was written over it in black, signifying what  Jiraiya recognised as a  kage tower.

Around the edges of  the crater, layers of buildings started to cover the rough ground. The same smooth white stone and golden roofs covered the crater walls like a nice coat of paint. Around the tower, a large lake formed around it, with several whirlpools starting to form. Further out away from the  centre , platforms of dirt were made, and soon it got covered in grass, making small parks in between them many bridges which connected to the central tower. Masses of water formed lakes and small rivers around the  bottom .

The  Uzukage mansion was suddenly reforming, and  Jiraiya could clearly see the  intercrate seals that covered it as the rubble got cleared and the mansion renewed. It didn't affect  Jiraiya , but he could feel the large amounts of chakra which were dedicated to this. The mansion formed like a square, the main house remaining the same, while walls surrounded the courtyard behind, with two dojos made as corners. In the courtyard there was gardens surrounding a rather large training ground.

On the opposite side of the mansion, a large building started to form, several training grounds started to erect around it,  and the building itself was at least four stories tall. Halfway across the crater between the mansion and those two building, another  large building formed, but it had a much higher  defenc e and looked much more secretive. On the opposite side of that again,  Jiraiya could see a large road form, with  beautiful traditional gates framing the road. The road itself was made of white stones, forming swirling patterns as it continued towards the sea, were a port began to build itself. 

Jiraiya l o oked at  how a large city just raised itself from the ground, finalizing training grounds around the islands amongst the flush forests and white stones, golden roofs. He couldn't properly comprehend what had happened. In a final, rush of chakra shooting up from the tower in a golden hue, hitting the barrier above like firework before it stopped.

-

" Ryuusuke !" 

" ** Ryuusuke ** !"

Ryuusuke could hear faint voices calling his name. He knew that  Uzushio being rebuilt would take a lot of chakra again, but he hoped that when the rest of the  jinchuuriki didn't let his chakra fall to critical levels, everything would be fine. However, as he felt the ease on the chakra drainage beginning, a searing pain ran  through his body like wild fire. Blood  involuntarily forced  it s way out of his mouth as the chakra drain stopped. The seal let him go as he fell to his knees. Black spots began to cover his vision as  vertigo became the only  noticeable feeling. He felt himself crash into the ground as the distressed voices of his comrades continued.

He didn't  lo se consciousness, he could feel Han lifting him up like he weighed nothing, how they ran out of the vault as Roshi ran to get Sakura. They carried him to his bedroom where he was hurriedly placed on the bed. He could faintly hear  Jiraiya bursting into the room, demanding an explanation. 

He could feel the soothing healing chakra from Sakura the moment she burst into the room right after  Jiraiya , Roshi right on her heels. The  Jinchuuriki stood at standby, ready to give him chakra most likely should he need it. His entire body felt like it was on fire as he sank back into the pillows with a moan. The darkness seemed so inviting, and soon exhaustion took him.

-

** "I see that the seal has done  ** ** it ** ** s ** ** trick on you again,"  ** The  Kyuubi's voice growled.  Ryuusuke's eyes snapped open, yet again faced with the familiar red eyes of the  nine-tailed fox.

"It went better this time,"  Ryuusuke aruged .

** "Yes, though you have certainly pushed your limits. Your chakra systems would have been  ** ** completely destroyed ** ** hadn't it been for me."  ** The  Kyuubi said with a chuckle.

"I suppose I should lay off the extensive chakra use for now then,"  Ryuusuke said. The fox snorted. 

** "Just a little,"  ** He said sarcastically. 

"Hey, I've always wondered. Bee can switch between him being in control of his body, and  Gyuki being in control. Could a clone possibly do the same thing?"  Ryuusuke asked. The  Kyuubi , despite not having eyebrows, looked like he was raising one.

** "What do you mean?"  ** The  Kyuubi asked. 

"I mean like, it must be super boring being stuck in here. If you could have control over my  clones body, you could explore a bit, get some freedom,"  Ryuusuke said. The  Kyuubi's eyes widened slightly, before returning to his usual glare.

** "The clone wouldn't tolerate my  ** ** pres ** ** ence ** ** , it would break,"  ** The  kyuubi said.  Ryuusuke hummed. 

"I'll see what I can do," he said before he felt consciousness pull at him again.

-

Ryuusuke felt like his eyes had been replaced with metal. He wearily opened them to see the familiar roof of his bedroom. He dragged himself up, his body feeling utterly exhausted, but at least there was no more pain. 

H e looked to his side, where Sakura was sitting in a chair, asleep. He poked her gently with his hand, albeit it being a very slow process.

"Sakura," he croaked. His mouth felt dry and he could feel his throat burning  by the use of it. Sakura's eyes snapped open.

"You're awake," she said before  signing in relief. "How do you feel?" She asked.

"My throat hurts, water?"  Ryuusuke asked. Sakura nodded,  hurriedly getting a glass of water nearby. It had probably been prepared for him. 

"Other than sore throat?" Sakura asked.

"Exhausted, but there's no more pain. The  furball said that my chakra system got overstrained, but he healed most of the damage there. Though I can't use any  more high valued chakra techniques for a while,"  Ryuusuke said. Sakura snorted.

"I could tell you that, though I would say lay off using chakra at all for the next week and get some proper rest," Sakura said.

"How long was I out?"  Ryuusuke asked.

"One day, it's getting dark in an hour or two," Sakura said. 

"Send in  Gaara first,"  Ryuusuke said. Sakura nodded before she headed out of the room.  Gaara entered soon after.

"I need you,  Fuu , Han and Yagura to go to Konoha. Prepare the  Uzu citizens to come home, I presume the village is properly rebuilt?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Gaara nodded.

"The scouting of the village was done yesterday. We have more than enough residence, everyone built to  accommodate a family. The houses are standardized three bedrooms, one  bathroom,  a medium sized living room and a kitchen with enough space for a dining  table . These are forming like a wall around the crater. The exact number evade us, but there is more now than  there was before. There is a large tower, an administrative building with a proper office for you in the centre of the crater. Up on the same level as this mansion, there is a building which is both a hospital and a research or intelligence facility. In addition, on the opposite side of the crater from here, is an academy. It is made for many more than what we  have but that is good, I suppose . There is a main road leading to the port. The bottom of the crater has a large lake forming around the tower, with several parks or spots of greenery. It is quite beautiful. We should be ready to host  all of our people, in addition to all  genin and academy students. I propose that you make it so they all live with people from the same village, based on teams and age, but  with there being no split between the villages themselves. For example, one house contains a Kiri  genin team, while their neighbours are from Kumo and  Suna ."  Gaara replied.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"Sounds good, I will get Roshi to write me a full report, and soon make my own statement about it, both for  Itachi and the five  kages . Please  deli ver that information to  Itachi and tell him to pass it on to the  Hokage for me, if you could be discreet about my condition, that would be very much appreciated. Tell the  Hokage that we will accept the  genin from all the nations immediately as well."  Ryuusuke said.  Gaara nodded  affirmatively . 

"You remember how the teleportation seal works?"  Ryuusuke asked.  Gaara nodded again with a smile. 

"I do," he said.  Ryuusuke grinned.

"Then get the others and leave as soon as possible, I know the war is starting soon, and we need to get the Allied Shinobi Academy up and running, and our people safe from the war."  Ryuusuke said.


	16. Yuki owns the only braincell in Team Five

Eon shifted uncomfortably in her robes as she made her way through the heavy masses of snow. The stinging wind was biting at her face as she tried to find the fifth platoons current camp. They had just suffered a major battle, requesting backup as soon as possible. Eon was the backup, the only one available to _be_ a backup. A flag waving ever so harshly in the rushing wind showed her the way to the entrance. She found the security seal not long after, hidden under layers of snow. Channeling chakra to the seal, the ground opened up slightly, letting Eon slip through into a cold cave. 

"Eon, you came," said a relieved voice nearby. Eon turned around, finding Kousuke, a friend of Yuki's. Eon gave him a short nod, walking further into the cave followed by the blond. 

"What's our status?" Eon asked as she glanced back at Kousuke. The jonin looked to the side regretfully. 

"Masses of the white zetsu clones completely overran, there are many wounded and Yuki is working her ass off with the little healing jutsu she knows. Rumours from the fourth platoon say that ninja who were dead has come back to life, fighting for Akatsuki. We just got word from the headquarters that Deidara, Sasori, Kakuzu and Hidan have all been eliminated, however Kisame, Konan and the masked man remains alive, most likely. They haven't been in any reported combat." Kousuke said. Eon took a deep breath. 

"If the dead are coming back to life, it would most likely be the reanimation technique. It's a forbidden jutsu made by the second hokage. The reanimations won't lose chakra or suffer any wounds, the only way to defeat them is by sealing them." Eon stated. Kousuke raised an eyebrow. 

"How do you know?" He asked. Eon hummed. 

"Obito-sensei was afraid that Orochimaru might be helping the Akatsuki, they've had contact before. He wanted me to research all possible jutsu they could use that would be a major problem and how to counter them." Eon replied. "He allowed me to read the forbidden scroll," she added silently. Kousuke's eyes widened. 

"Really?" He asked. Eon nodded, her eyes staring dead ahead. 

"I made a promise not to share any of it unless absolutely necessary, so there's no use in asking questions about it. Where is Yuki?" Eon asked. Kousuke nodded shortly. 

"This way," he said and lead Eon further down the cave. They went past a larger area, with many ninja sitting huddled together, nursing wounds from the battle or meditating. In another room there were the captains trying to lay a new plan. Kousuke took a right and led Eon to a room which reeked of blood. 

Many medic nin hovered over several patients, their hands covered in blood and grime as the green chakra from the mystic palm technique desperately tried to stabilize the worst wounds. Yuki was working on a patient further down the hall, eyes hard and brows furrowed as she concentrated, healing to the best of her ability. 

"I won't disturb then, I need to report to the captains, how many platoons were there in the end, and how many are here?" Eon asked Kousuke as she turned around. 

"We met up with the sixth and eight platoon of the second division, our numbers were halved," Kousuke replied grimly as he led Eon down the hall again, before stopping in front of the room they had walked past earlier. 

"Shikamaru," Eon said relieved as she saw her cousin. Shikamaru sent her a wry smile. 

"Eon, you made it," he said. Eon walked into the room, Kousuke disappearing down the hall behind her. 

"Kousuke gave me a quick update, what's our plan?" Eon asked as she walked over to the makeshift table in the room, made of a rough earth jutsu. 

"We don't really have one yet. The Iron country's weather proved to be a good cover for now, but it's only a matter of time before we're discovered. The white zetsu have a disguising ability, which proves to be very troublesome. We don't have enough man power to force our way back to the first platoon, where Kakashi is," Shikamaru said. 

"Stealth?" Eon asked. Shikamaru shook his head. 

"We have too many wounded to carry, even a small group of people would be easily found. We have reason to believe that the white zetsu have a sensory ability, however we placed seals around this cave in hope that no one would find us just yet, though they aren't very strong and won't help if people are close enough." He muttered. 

"The second division lost the entirety of platoon two, seven and nine. Ten, three and one teamed up, while the fourth camped by the border to the earth country. The first division is scouting Sound, while the third, fourth and fifth are scattered between Fire, Earth and Wind." Shikamaru continued. 

"So... it's bad," Eon concluded. Shikamaru released a half-hearted chuckle. 

"Yeah, it's bad," he agreed. "The only way to get to the first platoon is if we manage to force our way through any enemies we might encounter," he said. 

"Reinforcement from Uzu?" Eon asked. Shikamaru bit his lip. 

"The first batch isn't ready for deployment yet, though the HQ reported that the urgency has been noted, the first ones will be released next week. It mostly consists of the higher levelled chuunin that were pushed to their limits, the others need more training before they are ready to go out to the front," Shikamaru replied. 

Suddenly, storming footstep came running into the room. An Iwa ninja stood in the doorway, his breathing raggid as he gathered himself. 

"Captain Nara! White Zetsu have infiltrated the base!" He reported. Shikamaru's eyes widened. 

"Get squad five on the medic room, the rest are to fight back the infiltrators and find out how the hell they got in!" Shikamaru ordered as he turned back to Eon. 

"Go," He said. 

Eon sprang out into the fray, seeing the chaos that had sprung up between the force so quickly and felt dread welling up in her. Ninja she definitely thought were on their sides were turning into the white zetsu. She gritted her teeth in annoyance as she activated her sharingan. Sometimes, it was good that she was able to _see._

\- 

Ryuusuke ran a hand through the mess that was his hair with a ragged breath. Stacks of reports were growing on his desks, most of them urgent messages from the war about the need of their ninja being let out as soon as possible. Their forces were weakening quickly. They were losing. 

Ryuusuke could feel exhaustion building up on him as well. Jiraiya had left a couple of weeks ago but hadn't forgotten to let him know exactly what he was working on. A hundred clones were working on one thing or another at all times. His knowledge about fuinjutsu, tactics, ninjutsu, taijutsu, all had grown by leaps and bounds. Ryuusuke had designed a new seal for the teleportation kunai for his bastardized version of the Flying Thundergod technique, letting him sense when the holder was getting dangerously low on chakra. He had discovered it would be quite a useful feat in which his forces might have to enter the war. 

He was dreading it, but he himself couldn't just let the rest of the nations fall by themselves. He knew that his jinchuuriki, his ninja, would make a difference. However, if they fell – the akatsuki would get exactly what they wanted. 

A knock on his door interrupted his train of thought. 

"Come in," he said clearly as he straightened himself up. Sakura entered through the door, a small smile on her face, though it lacked conviction. 

"Sakura," Ryuusuke said, slightly relieved. 

"Ryuusuke," she replied softly as she made her way over to him. Ryuusuke stood up, letting Sakura's arms snake around him in an embrace. 

"I'm done with organizing the hospital, the remaining chuunin should be able to run the program as well from now on," she said quietly. Ryuusuke rested his head on hers, taking in the cherry scent of her hair. 

"You want to go, don't you?" Ryuusuke mumbled. He could feel Sakura nod against his chest. He tightened his hold on her, almost clutching to her clothes. 

"I have to," she replied. Ryuusuke chuckled, his voice cracking slightly. 

"Why?" He asked. Sakura let go of him, taking a step back. He didn't look at her, his gaze fixated to the side. 

"Because they need me," Sakura stated. Ryuusuke bit his lip. 

"I need you," he said. 

"They are dying," Sakura argued. 

"I know," Ryuusuke stated irritably. "Of course, I know! I get reports every single day – Sakura they are losing! If you go out there you could die!" Ryuusuke turned to her, eyes wide and... scared. 

"Ryuusuke I have a duty to my village -" 

"screw the village! They -" 

Ryuusuke was interrupted by a fist crashing into his face, sending him to the wall with a crack. 

"In case you forgot, I am a ninja. I made a pledge the moment I accepted the insignia of the village." Sakura said. She marched over to the blond. 

"I _love_ you, but I must go." Sakura said softly as she crouched down, moving strands of messy blonde hair from Ryuusuke's slightly bruised face. Ryuusuke grabbed her hand, his eyes meeting hers. 

"I know, I love you, _Go."_ Ryuusuke mumbled as he rested his forehead against Sakura's. Sakura took a deep breath before standing up. 

"I'll be back," she said confidently. Ryuusuke nodded, though he didn't move from his awkward position. The door closed behind her with a soft creak. Ryuusuke took a shaky breath, feeling hot tears press behind his eyes as shook softly. He brought a hand to his face, as if it would hide himself from the empty room. 

~ 

Ryuusuke had eventually found his way to his desk, once again continuing his quest to finish the endless amount of paperwork that was building up. Sakura had luckily agreed on bringing his Flying Thundergod kunai with her, just in case. Though she was vocal about his overprotectiveness. 

He couldn't help it. If anything happened to his friends or family just after he reunited with them, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle it. 

A burning feeling on his hand snapped him out of his thoughts. He almost threw himself over the desk and to a smaller desk in the corner of his room. There were many slips of papers hanging on the wall and some scattered on the desk, one of them however, was glowing in an eerie red. Ryuusuke grabbed the slip of paper in a rush, hurrying over to his newly acquired coat that had just been picked up from Konoha. With a rush of chakra, he focused on the seal before he vanished. 

The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself being soaked by masses of rain. His body was leaned over a familiar figure, his hand protectively holding onto the man's shoulder. His eyes snapped up, meeting a pair of familiar, purple ringed eyes. 

"what the **fuck** do you think you're doing?" He growled. Electrically blue eyes, slit in anger glared at purple impassive ones. Ryuusuke could feel anger building up inside of him as he released a roar. He held his hand out to the side, furiously starting to collect chakra. A blue, spiralling ball of energy grew in his hand. His eyes flashed gold as he vanished, reappearing in a blur in front of Pain, slamming the ball into the orange haired man's chest. 

" **Rasengan!"** He screamed. 

Pain was pushed back as the rasengan exploded in his chest, crashing into a wall behind as Ryuusuke made a shadow clone. 

"Sakura is still at the hospital, she's the only one who can help him – _GO!"_ Ryuusuke ordered the clone harshly. The clone nodded and ran back, picking up the mass of white, spikey hair. Ryuusuke could see blood pouring down from the man, his red haori stained with the fluid. 

"First my village, then the war... now my teacher and godfather?!" Ryuusuke growled. Pain stared back at him, his face betraying no emotion. He stood up, brushing of the dust of the building he crashed into from his coat as he met Ryuusuke's eyes. 

"It is all for the sake of peace, Kyuubi," he said. Ryuusuke's glared angrily in response. 

"Peace?" He asked. "How is this peace? There is a war going on! People are dying!" He shouted. 

"There has always been wars, people get caught in the crossfire of the great nations' strive for power. The Akatsuki will use the jinchuuriki to create the ultimate weapon, so we can achieve true peace under one rule." Pain said calmly. "Now, you're coming with me this time, Kyuubi." 

"Like hell I am!" Ryuusuke roared. 

"Universal Pull," Pain stated. Ryuusuke felt himself get lifted of his feet, suddenly flying towards those blasted black rods of Pain's. He gritted his teeth as he managed to draw a marked kunai out of his pocket. As he got closer to Pain, he focused on the kunai and teleported back to it quickly. Creating a couple of shadow clones, he scattered several kunai across the area. 

"Like I'm gonna let that happen," Ryuusuke's voice rumbled. 

Another body of Pain came flying at him from the side, crashing into him and barelled Ryuusuke to the side. 

"That's right, there are many of you..." Ryuusuke mumbled. He bit his thumb, spreading blood over a seal on his forearm. 

"Release!" He exclaimed. Six clones popped into existence. 

"Blood clones again?" Pain asked him tauntingly. Ryuusuke chuckled. 

"I have to even the odds, right?" He replied. His clones managed to lead the other bodies of Pain away, leaving the real Ryuusuke and the main body of Pain to themselves. 

"Why struggle? The world will be a better place if you just come quietly," Pain said. Ryuusuke shook his head. 

"This isn't peace..." Ryuusuke mumbled. "This peace is false! This battle – this struggle – it has taken too many lives to be a way of peace. My parents died for this... so many people have died for this... it's not right!" Ryuusuke exclaimed. 

"The jinchuuriki are people! They are not tools for you to use to achieve what you want! You are not a God, no matter what you believe! You bleed just like the rest of us – and I'll be damned if I let someone like you get a hold of my friends!" Ryuusuke shouted. 

"This is the only way," Pain said. Ryuusuke looked at him, feeling anger build up in his gut again. 

"The hell it is," Ryuusuke replied as he rushed at Pain again, lightning chakra crackling around his hand as he continued with a flurry of attacks. Pain was skilled, Ryuusuke knew that. The man's bloodline – those eyes – they were something special. 

A punch to the gut, followed up by a kick sent Ryuusuke crashing into a wall. A trickle of blood escaped his mouth in a cough. He could feel the Kyuubi's chakra begin healing him already. 

"I don't understand – Why? Why are you doing this?!" Ryuusuke shouted. Pain's impassive eyes met his own. 

"My family. My village. My _Nation_. Have all suffered because of the Great Nations, because of the ninja system. The war affects the minor nations the most, and when Konoha, Iwa and Kumo are done fighting, they go home, leaving the ruins of the nations caught in the crossfire in their poverty. My parents were killed by Konoha shinobi, my friends slaughtered by ninjutsu or famine." 

"And you think they wanted this?!" Ryuusuke asked incrediously. Pain halted slightly, as if a memory flashed across his mind. "You think your family, your village, your nations – your _friends –_ would want you to do this?" 

"My friends wanted peace," Pain stated. "This is the only way to achieve that," 

"I can't let you," Ryuusuke replied. They rushed at each other again, flurries of blows countered and blocked. Ryuusuke felt his ribs ache painfully, wondering if he might have broken some. It wouldn't matter, the kyuubi would heal them anyway momentarily. Ryuusuke bit his lips in wonder. Jiraiya had mentioned that nature chakra – what he used for sage mode – was in everything. It amplified strength, perception, speed and dexterity. However, it could result in being turned to stone or something. 

Hell, he needed everything he got. He didn't even know how to gather it. However, if it was anything he knew how to do, it was finding foreign chakra. 

He reached his senses out to his surroundings, trying to get a feel of it. However, as he reached out he noticed a fire within himself. Something warm, _good._ He reached in, feeling himself grow in power. 

" **Ryuusuke,"** A voice interrupted him. Ryuusuke snapped his eyes opened, finding himself in a dimly lit hall. He could see the massive form of the Kyuubi in front of him. 

"Kyuubi," Ryuusuke stated. The fox gave him a smirk. 

" **Looks like you found your way here,"** Another deep voice rumbled. Ryuusuke spun around, seeing eight large figures around him. 

"You're... you're the rest of the bijuu," Ryuusuke said, surprised. A flaming blue cat gave him a feral grin. 

"That's right," its voice were more feminine than the previous. The same deep voice that surprised him earlier spoke again, leading him to the biju that looked like a giant ape. 

**"This space is reserved for us, though there is another space where you can meet the remaining jinchuuriki,"** The ape said. 

"Wait, I thought that was the only one? What the hell is this?" Ryuusuke asked. 

**"This is what finds itself in the seal on your chest,"** The Kyuubi said behind him with a sigh. 

"Seal on my chest?" Ryuusuke asked. He looked at the shirt he was wearing, hastily pulling it all of. There, the mark he had seen in that strange dream many years ago – in addition to the mark he saw when the Kyuub tried to break out, was on his chest. 

"What is this?" Ryuusuke asked. The Kyuubi relased another long sigh. 

" **There is a long story behind this, and while I don't really agree with the old man on his choices, the truth remains. You are known as the Youki – or the _vessel._ You are the only one capable of safely holding all the bijuu without us merging into the ten tails," **The kyuubi said. 

"The ten tails?" Ryuusuke asked. Kyuubi nodded curtly. 

**"The juubi is made of our combined chakra and is the body of Kaguya."** Ryuusuke turned to the source of the voice, a large insect by the looks of it. 

" **Chomei, you shouldn't spill everything – it's probably nothing to worry about."** A turtle like biju said. 

" **Like it's better to leave them in the dark, Isobu."** The insect, the seven tails, Ryuusuke gathered. 

"Wait – Chomei? Isobu?" Ryuusuke asked. An octopus looking biju spoke – Ryuusuke figured he was the eight tails due to his placement. Now seeing how they all were sitting based on tails. 

" **We have names too, Ryuusuke."** The eight tails said. 

" **It is a private thing,"** The Kyuubi snarled from behind Ryuusuke. Ryuusuke turned to him, sporting a wondering expression. 

**"Ku – _Kyuubi –_ he saved the jinchuuriki from suffering at the hands of the village – some of them have actually managed to look past their stigma and befriend us, because of the fact that Ryuusuke gathered them. The old man trusted him and his future enough to entrust us to him, as a fail-safe. In addition – his friends are also a part of the prophecy!" **A slimy slug – the six tails, said. 

" **He hasn't earned anything."** The Kyuubi said angrily. 

"He's right," Ryuusuke added. The biju turned to him, eyes wide. "I haven't done anything to deserve Kyuubi's kindness. I... I have made some mistakes along the road. However, I am fighting an opponent at this moment who might be far out of my league. I know you said that the Kyuubi couldn't escape me – but this man might have the power to rip him out. I need to stop him, and for that I need your help," Ryuusuke said. The Kyuubi looked down at him, before a massive paw went to poke his chest with a claw. 

" **Focus your chakra to the seal, it will give you the power you need** ," The Kyuubi mumbled. Ryuusuke turned to the other biju, who nodded. 

Ryuusuke opened his eyes, this time once again meeting the gaze of Pain, he noticed that not a moment had passed out here, even though he knew he had been in the mind place for a long time. 

"Ready to give up?" Pain asked. Ryuusuke channelled his chakra to the seal, feeling a warm, fuzzy feeling envelop him. 

"Not by a long shot," he said with a smirk, shooting more chakra to the seal. Golden chakra enveloped him, warming up his body as his senses expanded greatly. He felt stronger, faster – almost like the nature chakra Jiraiya described. Was this it? He shook his head, rushing forward to meet Pain, much faster than before. 

A black rod came out of Pain's sleeve as he suddenly pushed Ryuusuke away with a shockwave. 

"Almighty push!" Pain said. Ryuusuke spun away, but Pain was quick on the follow up. A black rod slammed into Ryuusuke's shoulder. Ryuusuke gasped, a vision of a man – these black rods stuck in his back in some chair, appeared. Ryuusuke grit his teeth as the image disappeared, before ripping the rod out of his shoulder, rolling away from another one. 

"Not again," Ryuusuke stated. A rasengan flared to life in his hand, this time; golden chakra mixed in, giving the rasengan a golden hue rather than blue. Ryuusuke rushed forward again, Pain meeting him on the way. Ryuusuke threw a thundergod kunai, of course Pain dodged, however the moment he reached for Ryuusuke, the blond disappeared in a yellow flash, reappearing at Pain's back before slamming down the rasengan. 

Pain crashed into the ground, the rasengan expanding before exploding violently, tearing on Pain's back. Pain laid on the ground, unmoving. Ryuusuke stood up, looking down at the broken body as the golden chakra vanished from around him. 

"How did you come back?" Ryuusuke whispered. He grabbed a black rod that laid abandoned on the ground. He channelled his chakra into it, feeling another foreign chakra meeting his. 

Ryuusuke bit his thumb, weaving through hand signs before slamming his hand on the ground. A toad popped into existence in front of him. 

"Ryuusuke, what can I help you with?" The toad asked. Ryuusuke met the toad's gaze. 

"I need you to go to Jiraiya, I'm certain he has some info," Ryuusuke said. The toad nodded and disappeared again, while Ryuusuke looked around him. He vaguely recognised the city from a picture he saw once, and due to the massive amounts of rain, it didn't surprise him that this had to be Amegakure. He looked at his cloak, still feeling slightly strange about how it wasn't his previous blue flamed pattern, but red flamed. He knew it was a lot like his dad's, and somehow it felt like he didn't really own it. His hands were stained in dry blood from when he held Jiraiya shortly, he himself full of grime and blood. 

The toad came back soon after. He shuffled his feet awkwardly. 

"Jiraiya is out of commission, but Fukasaku-sama stopped me on my way back here, saying that 'the real one is not among them'. He told me to say that to you, nothing else," the toad said. 

"Thank you, Gamako," Ryuusuke said. He took a deep breath before stabbing the rod he held in his shoulder, channeling into the seal again. The golden chakra didn't envelope him, however he could feel the source of the foreign chakra. He looked up at the tallest tower in the village, before disappearing towards it. 

\- 

"Stop, don't move!" A female voice said as Ryuusuke stepped into a hall. Luckily for him, the main tower had a gaping hole in it. 

"Stop, Konan." A voice interrupted. "I want to hear what he has to say," 

"But, Nagato -" 

"Enough," Ryuusuke looked at the source of the voice. There, a red haired man, frail, nonetheless thin, almost starving looking was sitting. "Kyuubi," the man addressed. 

"So, you're the real Pain," Ryuusuke said. Pain – Nagato, the woman had said. 

"That's right, I must say I didn't think you would come to Jiraiya-sensei's rescue," Nagato said. Ryuusuke's eyes widened as his head whipped up. 

"Jiraiya-sensei?" Ryuusuke breathed out. Nagato nodded. 

"Jiraiya-sensei came to Amegakure when I was younger, training me and my friends ninjutsu, before leaving. When we needed him the most, he wasn't there," Nagato said. 

"There was a war going on!" Ryuusuke growled in reply. Nagato didn't reply. 

"We are the same," he said. "We both strive for peace, both trained by Jiraiya-sensei, both of us have lost a family, a village, yet we're different. You only see what you want to see, an idealistic view on the world. I've seen the truth, that the only way to quell the humans' rage is by controlling it," Nagato said. Ryuusuke shook his head. 

"My village..." Ryuusuke said softly. "Is mostly consisting of outcast, criminals or close family members of those," Ryuusuke continued. "Some of them have tried to kill me, more than once. Some of them enemies branded traitors for life, damned to a life of secrecy and solitude. My village, is a place for those who wish to start anew." Ryuusuke said. He met Nagato's gaze. 

"Peace comes in many ways, but I believe that the first way is to stand together... I first tried to fight alone, and it didn't really work out for anyone. However, after a while we all started to come together, a notorious murderer now works at the bakery, making the best pastries I've ever tasted. A thief is now a teacher and has one of the sweetest smiles I've ever seen when handling the kids. A... a runaway is a leader, a pariah now loved... Uzu is the place to turn your life around, and I believe I can do that for the rest of the world as well," Ryuusuke said confidently. 

"The curse of hatred is not incurable," Ryuusuke said. Nagato was staring at him. "I wanted to hurt you badly, I wanted to kill you. You're hunting my family and friends, your group fired a war and I know that my side is losing," Ryuusuke said. 

"But I won't let them fight the war alone anymore and I do not want to kill you. I want to cure that hatred in you," Ryuusuke placed a hand on his stomach with a wry smile. "And that furball in there," 

\- 

Ryuusuke stumbled when he reappeared in his office, crashing into his desk painfully. As soon as he straightened himself, the door into the office slammed open, revealing Itachi. 

"Ryuusuke!" He said as he quickly made his way to Ryuusuke's side. Ryuusuke gave Itachi a small smile. 

"Hey," he said with a grin. 

"What on earth was you doing? Jiraiya is at the hospital – Sakura's working on him, he's doing fine – we couldn't find you. You're bleeding!" Itachi said. Ryuusuke waved him off. 

"It is healed, it's just chakra exhaustion and stained blood," Ryuusuke explained. His grin widened. "Pain, the man who destroyed the village, he's not going to fight us anymore," Ryuusuke said. Itachi's eyes widened slightly. 

"You fought him?" Itachi asked. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"I convinced him to trust in me, he'll stand down for now. Maybe he'll even come on our side at some point, but I don't think that means the end of the Akatsuki, the rest of them are still in the war. Which reminds me, mobilize everyone, I will go to the five kage council after a quick fix of clothes. Uzu is joining," Ryuusuke said, determination burning in his eyes. 

\- 

Yuki sucked in a ragged breath as she clutched Eon's unconscious body closer to her. She took shelter from the snow in a small cave, not that it had much cover or warmth. Her reserves were pushed to the limits, having healed too many wounded when they were still in camp. 

When the white zetsu had attacked, she had quickly joined in protecting the wounded, however they hadn't truly understood how many there were. Eon had gotten hit pretty bad, and despite her better judgement, Yuki remembered Kakashi-sensei and Obito-sensei words clearly. 

Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. 

She had rushed for Eon, and as the roof of their hideout collapsed, managed to escape the fray as she tried her best to heal Eon. She knew that they needed to survive, rules be damned. She stabilized Eon later, but due to chakra exhaustion and the sudden stop of adrenaline, she would be out for a while. 

Yuki shuddered as the cold wind once again brushed against her, biting at her cheeks as she tried her best to sense if any enemies were nearby. If she was lucky, Eon would be up soon, and they would be able to make their way to Kakashi-sensei's platoon. 

War had been a concept known to her since childhood. Something they learned about in the academy, something that still laid in the hearts of many. She had never _understood_ war. She had never imagined the worry, the anxiety, the strain on her resources, watching comrades fall in battle, things she never thought she would have to witness, she hadn't imagined any of it. She hadn't thought about it in this way. It made her wish to end this war much stronger. Her determination to not let the next generation feel the same thing – to experience the same thing – a lot more powerful. 

"So, this is where you've been hiding," a voice called out. Yuki snapped her eyes open, looking up to find a figure in the entrance to the cave. He was dressed in black clothing, and a simple black mask covered his face. There were holes for his eyes, though they were covered by a dark, see-through glass. 

"Who are you?" Yuki's voice wavered slightly. She berated herself mentally, this was not the time to be uncertain. She was a jonin, she had skill, she could protect her teammate. 

"Who I am is not important, you two are the problem here..." The man said. Yuki clutched Eon closer. What a time for her to be unconscious. 

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Yet, anyway," the man said. "I just need you to relax a bit," 

"Don't come closer!" Yuki said loudly. She carefully got Eon to her side, standing up in a defensive position. 

"This would really just be easier if you just complied," the man chuckled. 

"Like I would let you do anything!" Yuki exclaimed. The man laughed, his arms holding around his stomach, making him look like he would buckle over from laughing. His laughing stopped, his arms falling to his sides silently. Yuki pressed her lips together, eyes staring at the man in front of her as she tried to focus, but the worry kept making her mind wander. 

Suddenly, the man sped forward, his arms still limply at his side, his movements looked like that of a puppet who got moved to fast. He slammed his hand onto Yuki's shoulder as she crashed into the cave walls. She looked up, before her vision got filled with red. 

"Just go to sleep," 

\- 

Yuki snapped her eyes open with a gasp. She bewildered looked around herself until she noticed that she didn't find herself in a cave somewhere in the deep winter of the Iron country. The first thing she noticed after that was that she was in a soft bed, not one you would find in the hospital. After looking at the room closely, she suddenly recognised it. 

She was home. 

She got out of the bed quickly, stumbling as she made her way to the door. 

"Yuki? Are you up already?" Her mother's voice sounded through the hallway. Yuki slammed the bedroom door open, sprinting into the living room as she stared at Hamako, who was sitting on the couch, drinking tea while reading the day's newspaper. 

"Mom – but – the war?" Yuki asked bewildered. Hamako raised an eyebrow. 

"War? Honey, did you have a nightmare?" Hamako asked. Yuki felt her lips quiver, her legs threatening to give away under her. "Are you sick? Perhaps I should go to Kakashi-sensei and tell him that you should stay here today," Hamako said as she stood up, walking over to Yuki and placing her hand gently on her forehead. 

"I have an appointment with him?" Yuki asked. Hamako sighed with a soft smile. 

"Team training, remember? Hokage-sama wanted you three to be, and I quote; 'the most badass team, fighting like a well-oiled war machine blessed by the gods.' Don't you remember?" Hamako asked. Yuki shook her head. 

"I just... had a really long dream," she said. "I'm going to find Eon, I need to discuss something with her," Yuki said as she hurried out of the door. 

"Be careful!" Hamako called after her, Yuki turned around and waved quickly before heading to the Nara compound. Halfway there, she spotted Eon's figure amongst the crowd. Eon's eyes lit up when she spotted her. 

"Yuki!" Eon exclaimed exasperatedly. They made their way to an empty playground. 

"This isn't a genjutsu, I can't see through it with my sharingan. If it was, it is very powerful. What happened while I was out?" Eon asked. 

"I got you out of the battlefield after you suffered a bad injury. We were in a cave when the masked man attacked. He said that we were a problem, and continued to tell me to sleep or something, it's a bit hazy," Yuki explained. Eon sighed. 

"Anyway, from what I gathered the war isn't going on. If we rule out genjutsu, the possibility is that we were sent back in time, but that wouldn't exactly work to the enemy's advantage, unless this is another universe, meaning that we in that universe would be gone completely. Other than that, this world seems to be completely normal," Eon stated. Yuki nodded uncertainly. 

"What are you guys doing here? Team practice started an hour ago!" A familiar voice said. Yuki and Eon turned to the newcomer. Dressed in the familiar jonin outfit of Konoha, headband fasted securely to the forehead – Yuki felt a gasp build up slowly in her chest. Bright blue eyes and whisker-like birthmarks on his cheeks. 

"Ryuusuke?" She breathed out. Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah?" He said. "Are you sick? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said. 

"But – why aren't you in Uzu?" Yuki asked. Ryuusuke laughed. 

"Uzu? Yuki, that island has been in ruins for decades, why would I be there?" 

Yuki was about to say something, but Eon grabbed her shoulder and shook her head. Yuki pressed her lips together in slight annoyane. 

"Nothing," Yuki said. "I just had a weird dream, it felt... very real," Yuki said. 

"Anyway, Ryuusuke-" 

"What happened to Ryuu?" Ryuusuke suddenly asked teasingly. Eon raised an eyebrow in confusion. 

"Did you hit your head, Eon? You guys never use my full name unless it is formally required, you've been saying Ryuu since we were seven," Ryuusuke said. 

"Right," Eon said as she chuckled. "Just wanted to have a change of pace, you know?" She said. 

"…Right, anyway, Kakashi-sensei is waiting for us still at training ground seven," Ryuusuke said. The three went to the training ground together in an awkward silence. 

"Have you guys thought more about dad's offer to become jonin-senseis?" Ryuusuke asked. Eon and Yuki whipped their heads toward Ryuusuke in shock. Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow. "Jesus, what's up with the two of you today?" Eon and Yuki shared a glance. 

"I'm not sure if I want to teach a couple of brats," Eon admitted, playing along with the conversation as well as she could. Yuki smiled softly. 

"I think it would be fun to be a sensei at least once, what about you, Ryuu?" She asked. Ryuusuke hummed. 

"I think the experience will be worth it, who knows, maybe I'll like being a teacher. Other than that, Jiraiya-sensei asked me if I wanted to learn how his spy network works. Then there's been dad's insistence that I try to learn politics or something if anything were to happen to him, though I doubt the council would allow the son of the hokage to take over the hat just like that," Ryuusuke said. 

"I think you would make a good Hokage," Yuki added with a grin. 

"Though Uchiha Itachi seems like the more reasonable candidate, but he is still in ANBU I believe," Ryuusuke said. "Which reminds me that Team Seven wanted to have a joint spar with us soon, Sasuke has been up my ass about losing last time," Ryuusuke muttered. 

"Sasuke?" Eon asked. Ryuusuke looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. He remained silent for a second, looking the two up and down carefully. 

"You two are acting really strange," Ryuusuke said. Eon suddenly laughed loudly. 

"Sorry- Sorry –it's just- I practiced a strong genjutsu with Yuki this morning! The side effects are a little strange, and there is a difficulty in differencing between what was the genjutsu and what was reality. I thought it would only affect Yuki but turns out it is a double edges sword for some things. I accidently caught both of us in it. We had this strange dream that Sasuke left the village when we were kids, and that we didn't meet before we were in a team, and that we had both Obito and Kakashi as sensei, you were living alone and then later you ended up building a village and becoming Uzukage! Isn't that just... unbelievable," Eon said quickly. Ryuusuke's eyes widened. 

"Man... that must be some genjutsu," Ryuusuke said. 

"It was, so if you'd just clarify what happened and what didn't, say from around the time we met, it would really speed things up for us," Eon said. Ryuusuke hummed. 

"We met right after mom and dad took me in, though I didn't really know Yuki until they revealed that we were cousins not soon after. We became genin under Kakashi-sensei, then during the chuunin exam sound and sand invaded, killed the Third, dad took over as Hokage, and sent on us a mission to be "the most badass team ever," quote unquote." Ryuusuke explained shortly. 

"Right," Eon said. "And the Akatsuki?" Eon asked. 

"You know, they do what they do, saving the world and shit. Yahiko was recently visiting to deliver his report to Jiraiya-sensei," Ryuusuke said. 

"Yahiko?" Yuki asked. Ryuusuke rolled his eyes. 

"The leader of the Akatsuki, who else?" Ryuusuke replied. 

They eventually made their way to the training ground, with Eon and Yuki continuously drilling Ryuusuke about what ever happened and when it did. When they arrived, Kakashi was waiting for them in the centre of the training ground. 

"Hello, everyone," he said with a smile. 

\-- 

Ryuusuke took a shaky breath as he dodged another sentry. He was hiding behind a corner, hoping that for heaven's sake no one saw him as he wrapped the wound on his shoulder with a strap from his cloak. 

"Stupid people can't stay the fuck alive," he muttered angrily as he peeked around the corner again. Once he saw that there was no one there, he sped across the room, hiding behind a large structure. 

"All I have to do is to channel my chakra into the statue," he whispered as he tried to scan for the statue in question. 

**"You have to hurry, my siblings' energies are rapidly fading. Your friends will perish if they don't get them resealed,"** The Kyuubi muttered. 

"I know," Ryuusuke hissed back. 

**"In addition to the entire, ‘let's fire a beam on the Allied Shinobi Forces’ thing the Akatsuki got going, you need to stop that too,"** The Kyuubi added. 

"That's a part of the entire thing, that’s only one task for several goals," Ryuusuke replied. 

\--- 

Eon and Yuki were currently sitting on a bench in one of Konoha's many parks. 

"So, we have gathered that Konohasuke lives with Obito and Rin, having been adopted by them many years ago. We've been good friends since childhood and there is a large possibility that we are much weaker than we were supposed to be, strangely enough," Eon summarized. 

"Obito-sensei is still the Hokage, but he was never our jonin sensei along with Kakashi-sensei. Sakura and Konohasuke are not even close to being in a relationship, Sakura having been on a team with Sasuke and Sai. On the other hand, Konohasuke's relationship with Hinata seems much more prominent this time, in our timeline they barely knew each other," Yuki added. 

"Akatsuki is actually going about peace the right way, and it doesn't even seem likely that there will be any war in the next few years, meaning that all the bullshit that happened to us aren't even a likely option here," Eon said. Yuki hummed in agreement. 

"And it's easy to say that you and Yachi are much closer here than you are back home," Yuki said teasingly. Eon's cheeks reddened slightly. 

"Don't remind me," she said. Yuki laughed. 

"It looks like he, Konohasuke and Kousuke are much closer as well, and that the three of them regularly hang out. Konohasuke and Sasuke are also close, being good friends." Yuki mused. 

"Itachi never went through with the massacre, for some reason Danzo aren't the war hawk we know him to be. We were all promoted, me and Ryuusuke have already made jonin, while you are busy working as Obito's advisor along with Shikamaru," Eon stated. She took a deep breath. "Now, for our course of action," she said. 

"We obviously need to find out the nature of our arrival here, was it genjutsu? Space-time ninjutsu?" Yuki said. Eon pressed her lips together, her brows furrowing in concentration. 

"If it's a genjutsu, it's an incredibly strong one, which means that it would need more than just a simple chakra flare. If we're unlucky, it must be dispelled from the outside, or if we're lucky it's just a matter of time before the technique goes out by itself. For now, we should continue to blend in, not raise any suspicion. For the time being, no one needs to know we're from an alternate reality." Eon said. 

"Are you sure? We don't really know much about the 'us' in this universe, if we act just like we are and that's not how 'we' are, people might think we're spies or something," Yuki said. Eon nodded. 

"We are even closer to Ryuusuke here than what we were in the other timeline, he might trust us," Eon said. 

"Or he might be mad that we replaced his friends," Yuki added. Eon chuckled. 

"That is likely," she said. "No, we shouldn't tell anyone yet, unless it's absolutely necessary. No need to alarm the village that there are alternate realities or anything." Eon said. Yuki nodded slowly. 

"We might as well take the time to relax as well, it's an... odd sort of vacation, but perhaps one nonetheless," Yuki said with a wry smile. 

"You got a point there," Eon replied. "It's also good to train, gain experience, stuff like that," she said. Yuki laughed, a playful smile decorating her face. 

"We're stuck in an alternate reality, and all you think of is training?" She asked. Eon shrugged with a small smile playing on her lips. 

"What can I say, every second counts," she said. Yuki laughed, but her smile faltered slowly. 

"Do you think anyone notices that we're gone?" Yuki asked. Eon looked at her feet, eyes elsewhere. 

"To most of the kages, we're just foot soldiers. Kakashi-sensei might be worried and have a lookout, though he can't really prioritize it, he knows that. Obito-sensei has been out of his wits since the war started, but I guess he will feel discouraged when and if he gets a notice that we are MIA. Ryuusuke... well, he might hear about it, but his hands are mostly tied. Though knowing him, he might just run out into battle the moment one of us got hurt, or anyone else close to him for that matter," Eon said. Yuki hummed. 

"That's true, he's always been impulsive that way," she said. "Kousuke was also in that base with us," she muttered. Eon placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. 

"He's probably fine, despite his boasting, he knows how to deal with difficult situations. He probably would have gotten hold of as many as he could and headed for Kakashi-sensei," Eon said. Yuki nodded slowly. 

"You're right," she whispered softly. 

"If anything, I'd actually be more worried if Ryuusuke actually went into the war just like that," Eon chuckled. Yuki scoffed. 

"You don't think he'd actually do that? I mean he is one of the main targets," she said. 

\--- 

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Ryuusuke muttered as he sped out of the hideout. How should he have known that the statue didn't deal well with extractions? He cursed once again as a flurry of kunai and shuriken whistled past him. 

' _this thing is going to blow, I need to get to the others!'_

**_"_** **The twerps you like so much are in a cave southeast from here, about twenty minutes with your current speed. However, I would say the explosion is in about five. If you use my chakra, we could get there in time,"** The Kyuubi said. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"Let's go!" 

\-- 

"And then, dad was literally stuck in the wall, had it not been for his intangibility he would have been stuck for hours," Ryuusuke laughed as he took another bite of his ramen. 

"You got nothing on me sport," Obito said next to him. "Everyone knows of my flaws, unlike you, those are strictly hidden within the household, which I'm a part of," Ryuusuke's face paled. 

"You wouldn't!" 

"Try me," 

"Yuki!" A voice sounded from outside the shop. Yuki turned her face forming into a wide grin. 

"Kousuke!" She said happily as she headed over to him. Ryuusuke snickered next to Eon. 

"When do you think they're actually going to start dating?" He asked. Eon raised an eyebrow. 

"The two of them?" She asked. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"By the way they talk about each other, hopefully soon," she muttered. Ryuusuke snorted. 

"It's not as bad as Yachi – I swear that dude can't shut up," 

"Yachi is trying to date someone?" Eon asked, a nagging feeling in her gut. Ryuuskuke laughed loudly. 

"Oh yeah, you have no idea," he said. Obito punched Ryuusuke's shoulder next to him. 

"Behave, brat!" He said. "It's not yours to meddle with!" He said. 

"Ah, come on, dad! Everything will fall into place eventually anyway," Ryuusuke said. 

"I thought the same about you and Sakura, but she ended up dating Sasuke anyway," Obito said. 

"Doesn't matter, Sakura only looked at me in the academy due to my looks and smarts, she wasn't trying to get to know me, only the idea of me. Had we spent more time together, with her coming out of her fangirlism sooner, we might have gotten closer. Though after she went on team with Sasuke and Sai, she got to know him instead. Suits me just fine," Ryuusuke replied. Obito chuckled. 

"Yeah, you went onto the Hyuuga, right?" Obito teased. Ryuuskue's face reddened quickly. 

"What? Hina? No way! We're friends! F-r-i-e-n-d-s!" Ryuusuke shouted. Obito laughed. 

"Because friends give each other nicknames?" Obito asked. 

"Yuki and Eon says Ryuu," Ryuusuke countered. 

"You're basically siblings, and everyone calls you Ryuu in your family," Obito replied. 

" _Hinata_ and I are just friends, and she's always hanging out with Kiba anyway," Ryuusuke countered. 

"Not as much as you though," Obito answered. 

"Shut up," 

"Don't talk to your father that way," 

"I'll talk to you however I want," 

"Minato-sensei would be so disappointed," 

"We both know he would never be disappointed in me, dad was too much of a dad to do that," 

"he was plenty disappointed in me and Kakashi," 

"he was not your dad," 

"Eon, help me!" 

"I'd rather stay out of it," 

"See? Eon knows what to do? Perhaps you should take notes, dad," 

"I have such a bratty son, regardless, I must get back to work. I'll be back around midnight, don't stay up to late and listen to your mother," Obito said and stood up. 

"Disobeying mom is a one-way ticket to damnation," Ryuusuke noted. 

"Never took you for one to obey," Eon teased. 

"Moms are different, they're super scary," 

"… you know what? That's right," Eon said after a moment of thought. 

\- 

The next couple of days was a continuous adventure. Yuki didn't recall the last time life had felt so complete. Aside from training with her team and with Eon in the evenings, hanging out with friends and family had been something she'd missed for a long time. 

In addition to that, it was like a dream come true. How none of the misery, accidents or mishaps had happened. Ryuusuke hadn't been kidnapped, Eon hadn't gone to Orochimaru, her mother was alive and well, Ryuusuke was frequently with them. Ryuusuke also had a family! Her team was complete, and there was no war to tear them apart yet again. Everything that had happened to them felt like an ever-fading memory, and the memories of her other self was slowly merging with her own. She was able to recall the D-ranks they had taken, how they all had trained to their limits every day, how they all had gone through hardships with unwavering bonds. 

She had everything she wanted. 

Today, she was going on an C-ranked mission with Ryuusuke. It was a simple protection mission, though it was open to become a B-rank due to the threat of stronger ninja coming after them, hence why they sent herself and Ryuusuke, instead of the usual three-man cell of genin and their jonin sensei. 

Ryuusuke had shadow clones around their area, acting as their primary defence. If anything come through, they would know, which is what allowed them to trail behind the group of merchants they were escorting, talking happily together about different things. 

"I'm telling you, if Eon doesn't see Yachi's affection soon, I will have to make him just go up and confess already!" Ryuusuke exclaimed. Yuki chuckled. 

"You're not exactly prime example of noticing feelings, Ryuu," she said. Ryuusuke huffed. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked. Yuki shrugged. 

"That’s for me to know, and you to find out by yourself, just like Eon and Yachi," Yuki said. Ryuusuke groaned before his eyes snapped to the side. 

"Guard the merchants," he said lowly as he headed into the forest. Yuki formed three shadow clones, guarding the merchants form all sides. 

Suddenly, Ryuusuke came crashing through the trees, impacting with the ground with a crunch before he rolled a couple of metres further. Yuki hurried over to him, helping him to his feet as she quickly pressed his dislocated shoulder back into place and straightening his broken arm, letting the kyuubi chakra heal it by itself. 

"The village is in danger, Iwa and Oto are marching upon us. You need to go back and help them. I will get these merchants to their village, it has been ransacked by Oto nin," Ryuusuke said. 

"Ryuusuke, if there are more there... you can't do it alone! If there is an invasion, these merchants probably won't be attacked, seeing how they were afraid of being attacked by bandits or the like. Bandits stay away from shinobi if they can, an army passing through the forest would have scared them off. Let's go back to the village together and join up with Eon, first save the village and then later we can come back here," Yuki said. 

"No! These people are suffering!" Ryuuskue insisted. 

"The village will need you! We both know that our team is their best chance against to villages, one of the sannin is against us, and Tsunade and Jiraiya aren't here at the moment!" Yuki said. 

"I want to help them, I do! And while everything might go better there, if I leave thousands of people to suffer for my own benefit, I'll be no better than the invaders!" Ryuusuke shouted. Yuki's eyes widened. For a moment, she saw a battlefield, littered with wounded ninja. She didn't recognise the headband, it had the kanji for shinobi. She shook her head in frustration. 

' _Yuki! Eon! Wake up! Come on! I **need** you!' _She heard Ryuusuke's muffled voice scream. 

She muffled a groan as a pounding headache formed. A slap to her cheek snapped her out of it. She looked up to meet a pair of intense blue eyes. 

"Yuki, they need you!" Ryuusuke shouted. She nodded dumbly for a second, before rushing off towards the village again. 

Ryuusuke... why was he screaming? The headache began to pound harder. She thought back at the battlefield she had seen. Where had she seen that before? 

' _Please, Yuki, Eon! I can't do this alone,"_

That voice again. She knew Ryuusuke wasn't anywhere nearby. Why did she hear him? She shook her head, the headache continuing to pound. 

As she saw the gates of Konoha, she could see that Iwa and Oto's forces had already been pushed back quite a lot. If obviously wasn't the entire village of Iwa that had joined in the crusade. She cursed as she hurried into the village. Obito would most likely be on the Hokage tower's roof. As she got to the roof, Obito quickly spotted her. 

"Yuki!" He said relieved. 

"Hokage-sama," she said politely as she saw the other jonin around him. 

"Where's Ryuu?" He asked, worry building up in his voice. 

"He continued with the mission, he was in a battle last time I saw him. He intends to go to the village and help with the survivors," Yuki reported. Obito nodded. 

"I see," he replied. "Eon is on the front, Oto retreated quite quickly when Jiraiya arrived and there aren't many Iwa nin at all. I wonder if they are Oto nin dressed up, seeing how none of them used Iwa's signature jutsu." Obito said. Yuki nodded. 

"I'll go to Eon then," she said. Obito nodded. 

"Be careful!" Obito called after her. 

Yuki sped ahead, hurrying towards where she presumed the front would be. Her headache didn't let up, and it didn't help with the bodies of enemy nin scattered across the village. Her vision flickered, once again seeing that accursed battlefield. She swore loudly. 

"Yuki, you're back!" Eon said as she spotted her. 

"I just arrived, how is everything?" She asked. Eon shrugged. 

"I mean, an invasion is shitty any day, but it wasn't a problem. The remaining oto nin is being chased into the forest, and it turns out that there wasn't any Iwa nin at all, but Orochimaru trying to pin some of the blame and creating an international crisis." Eon said. Yuki sighed, annoyed. 

"Ryuu?" Eon asked. Yuki chuckled. 

"He went on to save a nearby village, said that if we just abandoned them that we were just as bad as the invaders." Yuki muttered. Eon huffed. 

"He can handle it, but the invasion itself is basically over, lasting for barely two hours. I bet he will sulk for missing the action," Eon laughed. She patted Yuki on the back with a grin. 

"Come on, let's clear the field," she said. Yuki nodded slowly. Suddenly, a vision of Eon lying unconscious on a stone floor. She shook her head, the vision disappearing as quickly as it came. 

Later that night, Yuki laid tossing in bed, unable to sleep. With a groan, she dismissed yet another of the vision that had come along with her headache. She looked at her night stand, the picture of the day she, Ryuusuke and Eon became genin along with Kakashi. 

_'Team 5, Haruno Sakura, Nara Eon, Ryuusuke and Haruno Sakura, your instructors will be Hatake Kakashi, along with Uchiha Obito,'_

Yuki shuddered. She turned away from the picture, quickly getting dressed before heading out to a training ground. After a while of blowing off steam, Yuki slammed her fist into a tree, the bark cracking underneath her strike. 

' _Yuki – please wake up. Eon's wounds are worsening – I can't heal her!'_

A scream tore out of Yuki's throat as she crumpled to the ground, her fingers digging into her scalp as she tried to quiet Ryuusuke's voice. She took a shaky breath. 

"Yuki," a voice sounded behind her. Yuki spun around, coming face to face with Kousuke. 

"Kou," she whispered. Kousuke didn't move, he looked at her silently. 

"I wanted you to know that the village Ryuusuke went to rescue is safe. It's mostly destroyed, but it can be rebuilt. Some survivors are coming, I arranged it with the Hokage," Kousuke said. 

"Just like Uzu," Yuki whispered, before her head pounded harshly again. 

"Uzu? You haven't talked about that in weeks," Kousuke said before sitting down next to her. 

"I talked about it?" Yuki asked. Kousuke nodded. 

"Yeah, after you and Eon got put under that strange genjutsu, you couldn't shut up about Ryuusuke having been the Uzukage, how there was a war going on and stuff when you tried to ask me about exactly what happened in the past, it was a little weird," Kousuke laughed. 

Yuki's head was circling. She wasn't under a genjutsu a couple of weeks ago. She couldn't put her finger on anything like that, other than the recent visions she'd been having – Her head stilled. 

"The war..." She whispered. "I left them all behind," She stood up quickly. 

"Yuki?" Kousuke asked. 

"I need to find Eon – I'll see you later!" She said. She started running before Kousuke's voice called after her. 

"Eon is in training ground five!" 

Yuki spun towards the direction, yelling a quick thank you before disappearing into the forest. When she arrived at training ground five, she saw Eon leaning against one of the rocks in the clearing. 

"Eon?" Yuki asked. Eon's eyes snapped open. 

"Yuki, why are you here?" She asked. Yuki hurried over to her. 

"I completely forgot about the war – about Uzugakure and Ryuusuke, we have to get back! Who knows what has happened in the last weeks!" Yuki said hurriedly. 

"What are you talking about?" Eon asked bewildered. 

"Eon, you have to remember! We graduated along with Ryuu and Sakura under Obito-sensei and Kakashi-sensei! Ryuu got kidnapped by Akatsuki, later forming Uzugakure again! Akatsuki declared war on the five nations – we were hiding in the cave when that masked man came and put us here! We need to get back!" Yuki exclaimed. 

"I don't know what you're on, but this is insane," Eon said as she stood up. 

"Eon you have to remember, Ryuusuke needs us!" Yuki said. 

"Ryuusuke is right here! Why should I believe you? Why would I even want to go back to a place like that? We have everything here?" Eon retorted. Yuki halted, her eyes wide. 

"You remember, don't you?" Her voice wavered. Eon looked at the ground, shaking her head. 

"No, no I don't." She said lowly. She blinked, her eyes morphing into the sharingan. 

"Don't lie to me, Eon," Yuki growled. 

"I'm not," Eon stated. 

"Bullshit!" Yuki responded. 

"I am not going on some goose chase to head back into a reality like that, we have everything here!" Eon said. Yuki stared into her eyes, the anger and pain clear. 

"What happened to you?" Yuki asked. 

"Nothing!" Eon snapped. She raced at Yuki, fist drawn back as she got closer. Yuki blocked the fist quickly. She narrowed her eyes before grabbing Eon's arm, trying to spin her around. Eon noticed her move, moving with the spin to throw a kick at Yuki. Yuki let go of Eon's arm, blocking the kick before jumping away. 

"I'm not going to fight you," Yuki said lowly. Eon's eyes flickered between her normal dark eyes and the sharingan. 

"You're gonna have to," Eon responded before rushing at her again. Yuki knew she had the disadvantage in close combat, due to Eon being able to predict her moves. However, Yuki had more stamina. She could potentially outlast Eon, but when the other part was fighting much more aggressively than herself, she feared that she might get to many hits before being able to finish it off. 

Yuki bit her lip as Eon came at her again with another combo. She knew how to block them, she'd fought with Eon for a long time after all. 

"We don't have to do this, Eon," Yuki tried again. Eon didn't reply, or she did sort of, but with a sweeping kick. Yuki jumped, forming one chakra chain in her hand before throwing it at Eon, catching her arm. 

Eon formed a couple of hand signs with her other hand. 

"Fire style: Dragon's flame!" A stream of fire sprouted out from Eon's mouth, forming a flaming dragon. Yuki swept to the side, dragging Eon's arm with her as Eon stumbled. Yuki continued to pull Eon closer to her, locking the chain down in the ground before crouching over Eon. 

"Stop," Yuki said darkly. Eon's spinning sharingan was her only reply before Eon disappeared in a cloud of smoke, a log taking her place. 

"Substitution, damnit," Yuki swore. She stood up, looking around her. Just her luck that it was dark, she could barely see. Luckily, there was a heavy cloud cover, meaning that Eon's shadow jutsu were barely effective. 

Whistling kunai came past her, Yuki took one out of her pouch to block them quickly. 

"You can't defeat me, Eon, it will only end badly for both of us," Yuki's voice rang out. 

"You won't make me go back there," Eon's voice rang out. Yuki spun around, blocking a punch aimed for the back of her head. 

"Don't you miss them? Our real family? Our real team?" Yuki asked. Eon growled in response, firing another flurry of punches at Yuki. Yuki grabbed one of Eon's extended arm, throwing her across the training grounds. Eon recovered quickly, jumping back up to her feet. 

"They are here as well...!" Eon retorted. 

"But they are not _ours,_ what do you think Ryuusuke would say if he saw you now? Abandoning your friends and family just so you can have this perfect world!" Yuki exclaimed. She felt tears pressing hotly behind her eyes. Eon narrowed her eyes, masking any emotion she was feeling. 

"He would understand, after all –he made his own village, created his own little world just so he wouldn't have to face reality," Eon said. Yuki withheld a soft gasp. 

"We both know that's not what he meant," she said. Eon scoffed. 

"That man has been hiding things from us from the very beginning, he's so scared of people that he won't be honest with his friends! He's a coward!" Eon snarled. 

"You need to snap out of this!" Yuki shouted back. Eon shook her head. 

"You need to see reality!" Eon shouted in reply. 

"Both of you need to stop!" A new voice interrupted. Eon and Yuki froze. Turning to the side, they found Ryuusuke standing by the training ground, most likely having just arrived. He didn't wear the Konoha uniform, just a pair of dark pants with a matching sweater. 

"Stay out of this, it has nothing to do with you," Eon said. Yuki pressed her lips together and looked away. 

"Like hell it has something to do with me! You guys... you guys are my friends! I can't have you fight like this!" Ryuusuke said. "Now tell me the truth, what is going on?" 

"You wouldn't believe us even if we told you," Yuki said with a bittersweet laugh. Eon shot her a glare. 

"We don't need to tell him anyway, we're not leaving," Eon said. Ryuusuke's eyes widened. 

"Leave?" He breathed out. Yuki took a shaky breath before turning to smile at Ryuusuke, walking over to him slowly. 

"Ryuu, we're not _your_ friends," she started. "We don't know how we ended up here, but we're from a totally different reality- there is a war – the you in that world _needs_ us," Yuki said. 

Ryuusuke didn't speak, he didn't even move. 

"Then go," he said after a moment. Yuki's eyes widened. 

"Ryuu-" 

"No, listen to me; it doesn't matter if you're from another reality or whatever, you guys are still my friends, same childhood or not. If... _I..._ from another universe needs you, you have a binding duty as my friends to help, just as I do to you," Ryuusuke said, showing them a wide grin at the end. 

"When you two are fighting, I'm going to be the bond that holds you together," Ryuusuke said. 

Suddenly, Eon fell to the ground with a soft thud. 

"Eon!" Yuki shouted as she ran over to her, almost sliding at the end to lift Eon's head of the ground. She pressed to fingers to her pulse. After a shaky breath, she looked up at Ryuusuke with wide, unbelieving eyes. 

"She – there is no – I don't understand-" Yuki hitched, tears started to fall uncontrollably down from her eyes. Ryuuskue hurried over to them, grabbing a hold of Yuki as he tried to calm her down. 

"We need to get Eon to a hospital – maybe they can help," Ryuusuke said. 

' ** _Damnit Yuki you need to wake up! We need you!'_** Ryuusuke's voice sounded in her head again. Yuki shook her head frequently when Ryuusuke's gasp interrupted her inner voices. 

"Yuki – she's disappearing!" He said. Yuki's gaze fell to Eon, seeing how parts of her began to glow softly golden, before parts of her floated upwards to the sky. 

"No, no, no, no," Yuki pleaded as she tried to grab hold of Eon. 

"Yuki... Yuki I think it's time for you to go," Ryuusuke said, his voice soft. 

"What?" She breathed out. Ryuusuke looked at her hands, with had started to glow in the same way as Eon. 

"If you are from another reality, perhaps your mind is the only thing that is here, Eon might be in danger on the other side. You have to help her and me, of course," Ryuusuke said with a dry laugh. 

"I'm going to be fine here," he muttered. Yuki gave him a soft smile. 

"Thank you for understanding," she said. Ryuusuke smiled back, before a blush started to form on his cheeks. 

"Hey – do you know – like – do I have any relationship with Hinata in your world? Like, am I braver or something because of that war you guys were talking about?" Ryuusuke asked. Yuki laughed loudly while she shook her head. 

"You're actually with Sakura, Sasuke isn't in the village," she said. 

"if Sasuke isn't in the village, he might be your enemy. He has a real aptitude for genjutsu and strong ninjutsu attack. He likes fire and lightning style, and he also uses a sword!" Ryuusuke said, trying to mask his obvious discomfort about being with Sakura. Yuki nodded. 

"Goodbye, Ryuu," Yuki said. Ryuusuke smiled at her. 

"Good luck, Yuki," he replied. 


	17. Enter! Duck Butt!

Eon snapped her eyes open, gasping as she felt air enter her lungs once again. She fell backwards, landing on the ground as she bewildered tried to figure out where she was. It was a dark room, with a blueish hue being the only source of light. She wasn't exactly sure where the light came from, but decided against pondering about it for long. 

"Hello, Eon," a voice said. Eon jumped to her feet, turning around quickly to find an old man floating a meter over the ground. He was dressed in formal clothing, with white, clay like skin. Two horns sprouted out from his forehead. A long beard decorated his chin, falling to his mid-section. 

"Who are you?" Eon asked carefully. The man eyed her back, pausing slightly before replying. 

"My name is Hagoromo, but I am known as the Sage of the six paths," he said. Eon's eyes widened. 

"Sage of the six paths? I thought that was a myth, a children's story!" She said. Hagoromo laughed. 

"Truly, the memory of me has faded, but that is not why I'm here," Hagoromo said. Eon raised an eyebrow in confusion. "With these eyes," he started, meeting Eon's gaze with what Eon recognised quickly as the same eyes as Pain had. "I can see Indra's, my eldest son, chakra clinging to you," he said. "I had two sons, Indra and Ashura. Indra was nothing short of a genius, while Ashura was weaker, but kinder. The one who would inherit ninshu after me, my power... when the time came, I chose Ashura. Driven by revenge, Indra fought Ashura... it seems as if giving only one of them power was not the answer. You, are a reincarnation of Indra." Hagoromo said. 

"I presume there have been other reincarnations as well, in addition to that Ashura person," Eon said. Hagoromo nodded. 

"Yuki, is Ashura's reincarnation. Before you, it was Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama," Hagoromo replied. Eon nodded, sighing deeply. 

"And I suppose there something the two of us have to do, otherwise you wouldn't be here," Eon said. 

"My mother, Kaguya, was the first to have chakra in this world. And though she was a wonderful woman at some point, she turned wicked. Me and my brother separated her body and spirit and chakra. Her body is the Demonic Statue, her chakra was split into nine pieces, now known as the bijuu, and her spirit was sealed deeply in the moon," Hagaromo said gravely, looking away from Eon. "There are forces at play which wishes to revive my mother, not that they are actually aware of their actions, but intending to use the Demonic Statue to power a genjutsu so strong it will trap anyone, the genjutsu is much like the one you and Ashura's reincarnation were trapped in," Hagoromo explained. 

"And I suppose Akatsuki, who we supposed were under Pain, are being manipulated by the masked man that attacked me and Yuki," Eon assessed. Hagoromo nodded. 

"Correct, the man you're looking for is most likely some of Indra's blood, much like you; possessing the sharingan," Hagoromo explained. "Entrusting all my power to Ashura alone was what created this calamity, and after decades and centuries of watching the brothers fight, I decided to create a bond, a connecter between Ashura and Indra's reincarnations," Hagoromo said. Eon's eyes widened. 

"The dream, back when we were younger – Ryuusuke is that bond right?" Eon asked. Hagoromo nodded with a chuckle. 

"Correct again, Ryuusuke was entrusted with the task of connecting you and Ashura's reincarnation, in addition to connecting the Bijuu once again, now that that is done, it goes to show that the time has come, the prophecy is soon to be fulfilled," Hagoromo said. Eon shook her head. 

"The bijuu is connected?" Eon asked. 

"While you were under the genjutsu, a lot of things happened, but I think that explanation should be left to Ryuusuke, after all he knows exactly what happened, my vision of the real world is limited. Anyway, when you and Yuki fought in the genjutsu, I was certain that you two would once again enter the circle that has been going on for years, however even the Ryuusuke in an alternate reality will hold the two of you together. It also seemed like you were more than just under a genjutsu in that reality, but affected in some other way as well," Hagoromo explained. Eon took a deep breath. 

"In the real world, I was gravely wounded, I'm not sure if I will make it," Eon said. Hagoromo shook his head. 

"You will certainly be fine, you have your teammates after all," he said and met Eon's gaze.   
"Now, raise your dominant hand," Hagoromo said. Eon lifted her hand carefully, showing her palm to Hagoromo. "I entrust with you my power, and the ability to seal my mother should she be revived. Please defeat the man wanting to revive her before that happens, otherwise it will just cause a lot of devastation, as her power is almost inconceivable," Hagoromo said. Eon nodded. 

"I will, alongside Yuki and Ryuusuke," Eon said. 

\- 

Yuki eyed Hagoromo carefully, hesitant to raise her hand as she was told. 

"Eon and I... there is a chance we might fight to death like the previous reincarnation?" She asked carefully. Hagoromo looked away shortly, before turning his gaze back to Yuki. 

"What happens next is up to you and Eon, however I have faith that since Ryuusuke is a player not seen before, the chances for that happening is low, only the three of you together can break the cycle and stop my mother," Hagoromo said. Yuki nodded, raising her hand to face Hagoromo. 

"Now, I entrust you with my power, and the ability to seal my mother should she be revived. Please defeat the man wanting to revive her before that happens, otherwise it will just cause a lot of devastation, as her power is almost inconceivable," Hagoromo said. Yuki felt power within her surge, increasing at an incredible rate. For a moment, she closed her eyes while breathing in deeply. 

Snapping her eyes open once again, she was looking at a wooden roof. Sitting up carefully, she took a look around. Ryuusuke was sleeping while sitting against a wall next to her, Eon pressed between her. Yuki's eyes widened as she saw Eon's state. Blood was still flowing from her wound, bandages made of Ryuusuke's cape were soaked, and her breathing was ragged. Yuki hurried over to her, she immediately began healing the wound, jumping slightly when the usual green chakra was a rich golden. She shook herself out of a stupor and began healing, and to her surprise finding it much easier than before. She wasn't exactly a master of healing jutsu, but knew the basics. 

"Yuki, you're awake!" Ryuusuke exclaimed suddenly. Yuki jumped slightly. 

"I need to concentrate Ryuu, I need to heal the wound," Yuki said. Ryuusuke hummed in agreement. After a couple of minutes, Yuki leaned backwards slowly, Ryuusuke quickly coming to support her. 

"I'm fine," Yuki said. Ryuusuke chuckled. 

"Yeah, right," he replied. 

"Really, I'm just a bit baffled by the density of my chakra – Eon should be alright and wake up soon," Yuki said. Ryuusuke nodded. Yuki turned to him after a moment. 

"What happened?" She asked. Ryuusuke flinched, his face turning pale drastically. 

"Ryuu, what is going on?" Yuki asked, her worry growing quickly. Ryuusuke looked away, holding his breath for what seemed like ages. 

"I'll explain when Eon wakes up," Ryuusuke said. 

"Then wait no more," Eon's groggy voice came. Ryuusuke released a relieved laugh. 

"Thank the gods your alive," Ryuusuke said. Eon scoffed. 

"No need to thank them, I'm pretty sure it was Yuki, no?" Eon said with a teasing smirk. Ryuusuke chuckled. 

"Got me there," he said. Eon sat up slowly, leaning against the wall behind her for support. 

"Now, tell us what happened. I'm pretty sure we're not in some abandoned hut without a reason," Eon said. Ryuusuke bit his lower lip, eyes trailing to the side. 

"I'm not really sure how I should say this, but I'll just put it out there," he said, turning to look at Eon and Yuki, his face hardening. 

"I'm not sure about those far away from here, but other than us... everyone is dead," 

Silence crept through the room they were in. Ryuusuke was going back to avoiding his teammates gazes, an undeniable shame decorating his face. 

"What?" Eon asked after a moment. It was clear that she had heard him properly, but more the shock and denial kept her from completely comprehending what Ryuusuke had said. Ryuusuke took another shaky breath as he steeled himself once again. 

"I'll spare you the details, Uzu joined the war after I defeated Nagat- Pain. Jiraiya was investigating the Hidden Rain village where he found the Akatsuki's headquarters and was soon attacked by Pain. Before he got to badly wounded, the seal that connects with the Flying Thundergod kunai I gave him activated, letting me know that he was in trouble. Right, anyway... the allied shinobi forces were defeated quite quickly, before I knew it... the other jinchuuriki had fallen in battle. Extraction took place by some large statue where the tailed beasts were kept. They were going to fire some large weapon on the forces, taking out the largest battalion before the battle even begun. I snuck in, stole the tailed beasts back and unknowingly set off a sort of bomb," Ryuusuke said. 

"The blast killed everyone, the only survivors being Madara and the masked dude, and us. Had it not been for me currently containing all the nine tailed beasts and using their chakra to shield us... we wouldn't have been here either. Eon's wound didn't get any better though, but at least it didn't get any worse when I brought you away from the Land of Iron to here, this is in the Land of Fire by the way, I was on my way to Uzu but I didn't have enough strength to carry both of you there, and my chakra was pretty exhausted protecting us from the blast. I used the remaining to seal this hut so that no one would be able to sense us," Ryuusuke explained. Yuki took a shaky breath. 

"But do you truly know if everyone's dead? Like in the villages? What about in Uzu – do you think the civilians are alive?" Yuki asked. Ryuusuke looked at the floor. 

"Yuki... the blast has turned almost everywhere into a wasteland. If they had a very strong barrier, then they might be alive, but considering that the Akatsuki members loyal to Madara will stop at nothing to find me, I'm not sure for how long. I have hope that the hidden villages are still standing, but the Allied Shinobi Forces... they're all gone." Ryuusuke explained. 

"Madara as in Uchiha Madara? That man has been dead for centuries," Eon stated. 

"I was surprised too, but he's back using some sort of reanimation technique. He was looking for Nagato and his rinnegan to perfectly revive himself or something, and then you have that masked man at his side, also an Uchiha by the looks of it," Ryuusuke said. 

"Madara fought the first hokage on equal ground, to defeat him we can't make any mistakes. We need to be at one hundred percent. Yuki, Madara needs the biju to revive her, but the Sage's powers are undeniably there, if we have the power to seal a goddess, that means we can probably take the man trying to revive one, Ryuusuke contains the demons, so as long as he is safe then-" 

"Hold it right there," Ryuusuke interrupted. "I don't just contain them – and they aren't demons! They're all living breathing beings, okay? Even Kurama, despite being an angry piece of shit," Ryuusuke said. Eon raised an eyebrow. 

"Kurama?" She asked. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"All the tailed beasts have names, really nice names too! And also, I don't just contain them – we're all fighting together! You two are not fighting Madara and Mr. Masked Uchiha without me, if anything, you two fight Madara whlie I fight Mr. Masked Uchiha, that's a much better plan!" Ryuusuke argued. Eon stared blankly at Ryuusuke, who crossed his arms in defiance. Eon sighed in defeat. 

"Fine, I won't be able to force you to stay put in Uzu anyway, and your power is undeniable, we will have a much better chance at success with you there. Me and Yuki just became demigods by all definitions, so the two of us have a good shot on taking down Madara," Eon explained. Ryuusuke's eyes widened, he broke out with a wide grin. 

"You became _demigods_?" He asked excited. Yuki chuckled with a nod. 

"We met this super grandpa who told us we needed to save the world," she said. Ruusuke laughed. 

"Man, that's awesome!" He said. 

"Anyway, I need to press the fact that if we lose here, the world loses. That's not an option, not one I would like to have anyway, but there is also a huge chance that this is our final battle... our final day," Eon said. She grabbed Ryuusuke's and Yuki's hands. 

"I want to say that I'm so glad I met you two, I'm so glad that we're a team. And as long as there is air in my lungs, I will try to make sure that the three of us get out of here alive," Eon said. Yuki nodded. 

"After my father died, I thought it was only me and my mother, that it would always be me and my mother. When the three of us became friends, I was honestly a bit surprised how easily you just... stuck to me, even when we spent years apart, I feel like our connection didn't dwindle in the slightest, our bonds... they are as strong as ever," Yuki said. Ryuusuke chuckled beside her. 

"I honestly hated you and the entirety of Konoha at some point, or so I told myself, it's quite simple to say that I wasn't exactly being honest with myself or my feelings. I had no one, and I wanted no one for a long time, but the two of you opened my eyes, and I think that no matter what happens I will always want to stand by your sides. Had it been us against Konoha, then it would be us against Konoha. Had it been us against Uzu, I would have driven that city that I raised to the ground without blinking. You guys are a part of my family, nothing will change that. When we go out there to fight, we together. If we fall, we fall together," 

The three of them stared at each other for a moment, taking in each other presence, just... holding that little peace that they had in their little cabin for as long as they could muster. 

"We're a team, always have been, always will be," Eon whispered. 

"Kakashi-sensei and Obito-sensei would be in tears," Ryuusuke muttered. 

"I suppose this is what they always wanted us to be, a team always united despite the odds," Yuki said. The other two nodded with solemn smiles. 

"Team five forever?" 

"That's so cliché," 

\-- 

Ryuusuke didn't know how many days it had been that he had hidden in that small house with Eon and Yuki. The uncertainty of how fast their enemy would find them was ever present, and it made his entire body tingle with anxiety. It was night went they stepped out after their wounds healed, and their chakra replenished. It was autumn, it was simple to say. The cool wind caressed Ryuusuke's arms. Sometimes he regretted not having long sleeves. His cape was still in Uzu, protected by the barrier. Or so he hoped. 

"Are you sure you don't want to practice your new abilities a bit before going into battle?" Ryuusuke asked Yuki and Eon. They shook their heads. 

"For some reason, the knowledge about the abilities are sort of already there. It's basically like my chakra is more potent, and there is also a lot more of it. The sharingan feels less draining and can do its normal abilities much faster and more accurate than usual. The curse mark no longer holds evil intent, and the abilities are better... I think," Eon replied. 

"It's almost the same with me, disregarding the curse mark part. My bloodline has upgraded in a way, instead of chains alone, I can create any weapon I desire," Yuki said, demonstrating by creating small needles of golden chakra which floated above her hand. "It doesn't take nearly as much chakra, my reflexes, speed, strength and so on is also much better." Yuki explained. 

"...great," Ryuusuke said after coming over his slight stage of absolute shock. "Anyway, I can sense two people up ahead. Their chakra reserves are massive, so it's easy to say that it might be our enemy. One of them is significantly weaker than the other and seeing how Kurama just attested that your power levels are of the charts currently, and still not at their maximum – I would propose we split up." Ryuusuke said. Eon raised an eyebrow. 

"What happened to the entire teamwork thing?" She asked. 

"I'm not saying that we won't work together at all, but we don't know how much these two work with each other, and seeing how that minor guy still has a massive chakra reserve, it's easy to say that they are both very strong. However, I am most likely stronger than the minor guy alone, and the two of you have always had amazing teamwork and considering your powerups you will most likely be able to handle the major guy together." Ryuusuke explained. "By splitting up, we have a one on one match, and a two on one match, seeing how I am basically a one-man army, we have the numeral advantage," he continued. 

"I see, I guess that is sensible," Eon said. Ryuusuke suddenly halted, slamming his hands together in a loud clap. 

"I need to tag you," he said. He turned to face Eon and Yuki with a grin. 

"Tag us?" Yuki asked. Ryuusuke nodded enthusiastically. 

"I made a bastardized version of the Flying Thundergod technique, by tagging you I can teleport to your side whenever, which means that if I believe we have better chances of facing our adversaries together, or if I suddenly fall in battle, I can appear by you instantly," Ryuusuke said, his voice teasing at the end. 

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, how does the tagging work?" Eon asked. Ryuusuke walked over to them, placing his hands on Eon and Yuki's shoulders. 

"Done," he said with a smile. 

"That was fast," Yuki commented. Ryuusuke grinned. 

"It comes with my awesome," he said. He suddenly stiffened. 

"Those two guys have sensed us, they're heading here now. Prepare yourselves," Ryuusuke turned his back to Eon and Yuki, staring intensely towards the direction he had sensed their adversaries. 

"I don't know exactly how we're going to split them up, but don't make any moves before we have a better understanding of who they are and what we're facing," Eon said. She jumped back, going into their usual three-man formation. 

"I will send some shadow clones into the edges of this clearing, maybe it will give us an edge," Ryuusuke said. He created four shadow clones, quickly drawing a couple of seals on them. 

"What are those for?" Yuki asked. 

"Masking their chakra, most likely we don't want the other two know that they're there," Ryuusuke replied, sending the clones into the forest. 

A heavy silence placed itself around them. The only thing they could hear being the slight night breeze shuffling the trees around them. Ryuusuke could feel a smile tugging at his lips, it reminded him of Konoha. The trees, the soft wind. In addition, the coolness of it all reminded him of Uzu, it's golden shores and sound of waves hitting the beach, the sound of his people living out their lives to their best ability. The wind, being with Eon and Yuki, it all reminded him of home. 

"It seems like the host and his friends has come out of hiding," a voice interrupted the silence. Ryuusuke, Yuki and Eon tensed, falling into battle ready positions. 

"A sharingan user, Madara – did you know about this?" Another voice said. The two figures the voices belong to came out from the shadows of the trees. One of them wore a red battle armor, long, spikey black hair fell down his back. The sharingan activated in his eyes, though his sclera was black instead of white. 

"Madara?" Eon asked. 

The long-haired male stared at her, his eyes hard – yet his face unflinching. Eon could feel his massive presence, how is power just emitted from his without it draining him in any way. She felt like she was an ant in front of a mountain. 

"That's right," Madara said. "And you three are the final pieces in the way of my plan, we will have to fix that now, won't we?" 

"You then, who are you? It feels like seeing how we're going to fight to death that we should at least know each other's names," Ryuusuke said to the other male. He was wearing a mask, hiding his entire face. Short, slightly long hair, just as black as Madara stuck out behind him like a duck. 

"My name is not important," the male said. He was smaller than Madara, his voice younger too. 

"Then I will call you duck butt, in courtesy of your stupid ass hair," Ryuusuke replied. "Well then, Duck butt, how about we take this party somewhere else? I alone will be enough to take you!" Ryuusuke grinned. 

"And your arrogance will be your doom," Duck butt said. Madara raised an eyebrow next to him. 

"Don’t screw this up, will handle the other too and help you shortly, the jinchuuriki is strong, don't underestimate him," Madara said. 

"I won't," Duck butt said. Ryuusuke gave him a mischievous glint, disappearing in a blood flicker. Duck butt followed soon after. 

"Well then, Nara Eon, Uzumaki Yuki, be ready to meet your doom," Madara said. Yuki narrowed her eyes. 

"Your name is Madara, not doom -" 

"and we're not dying today," Eon finished Yuki's sentence with a smirk. 

"We'll see about that," Madara replied as he brought his hand to the handle of a large sword on his back. He pointed the blade at Yuki and Eon. "Come, give me everything you've got," 

\- 

"You know, I still don't understand why you are doing this," Ryuusuke mused as he stared down his opponent. "I know the Infinite Tsukiyomi needs the tailed beasts to have enough power, and that it supposedly is a very massive genjutsu, but what is the goal?" He asked. 

"The goal is to create a perfect world; one without suffering, one without pain, you would not understand," Duck butt clenched his fist, using his other hand to draw a sword out from behind him. 

"Wouldn't understand pain, or wouldn't understand your plan?" Ryuusuke asked, his voice low. His gaze met the sharingan exposed by Duck butt's mask. 

"Neither," Duck butt replied. Ryuusuke scoffed. He brought out his hand, a seal visible on his wrist as he drew out a blade. The sheath was still on, white with golden inscriptions on the sides. The guard was purely black, and on the back of the handle you could see a monochronic version of the Uzu emblem. 

"I have two blades," Ryuusuke started. "One of them, made while I was young, was as dark as my mindset. This blade, made with the purest chakra conductive metal, along with a purely white scabbard to symbolize that my story has yet to be completed. My first blade was called Tsumibito, sinner. This blade," Ryuusuke pulled the sword out from the sheath. "Is called Shokan, which means redemption," Ryuusuke said. He pointed the blade at Duck butt. 

"Duck butt, you have done many horrible things. Unforgivable things even, but so have many of my friends, many of the citizens of my village. You still have the possibility to change, to start anew," 

"I have nothing to start anew for, the infinite tsukuyomi will create a perfect world for everyone, everyone will have a chance to live out their perfect life – their dreams," Duck butt said. 

"But it would all have been a lie! An illusion! That isn't life, it's running away!" Ryuusuke argued. 

"It is better than life!" Duck butt retaliated. 

"If everything had gone perfectly in life, then no one would be the same! People wouldn't learn, they wouldn't evolve! Their personalities, their experiences, they wouldn't have all of that!" Ryuusuke said. Duck butt pointed his blade pack at Ryuusuke, the two standing there, their ideals fighting a silent war. 

"It does not matter what you think, container, you will be the source of power of the tsukiyomi. Seeing how you made the demonic statue unavailable now for holding the jinchuuriki, we will just have to use you as an attachment. A slight decoration until it has repaired itself," Duck butt said. 

"I won't allow it," Ryuusuke said. 

"I don't need your permission," 

\- 

Eon swept under a flurry of kunai as she tried her best to read Madara's movement. Yuki was sending water clones to fight him up close so that they could try to get a read on him, however the Uchiha was clearly skilled, not only in the simple ninja arts, but a genius with the sharingan. No movement was wasted, every second spent doing the best option available. 

Eon jumped back, forming a hand sing with one hand. A large stream of fire shot out from her mouth, taking the form of a dragon. Straight afterwards she switched symbol, her shadow stretching along the ground, intent on capturing Madara who was now charging at them with his giant sword. 

Yuki jumped forwards next to her, a battle cry tearing out of her as she followed up Eon's fire dragon with a water dragon. A water clone next to her followed her water dragon with a lightning dragon, which quickly merged with the water dragon. 

Madara's sharingan seemed to glow up, he weaved through a couple of hand signs with his free hand, slamming it down quickly afterwards. A large wall of stone rose from the ground, taking the triple dragon combo head on. The stone seemed to melt away from the intense heat. Smoke clouded Eon and Yuki's vision. Eon felt her breath catch in her throat. 

"Yuki! Behind you!" She shouted. 

Yuki shot upwards, her hands going through different hand signs at record speed. 

"Water style: Raging Waves!" 

Water gushed out from her mouth like a waterfall, hitting Madara head on and pushing him backwards, stalling his movements ever so slightly. Eon grinned. 

"Lightning Strike!" She exclaimed. A current of lighting shot from in front of her, running into the water and quickly electrifying it. Madara gritted his teeth in pain as the current slammed into him. A cloud of smoke appeared around him, and splintered wood fell in his place. 

"Replacement, be careful!" Eon shouted. She had figured that Madara preferred to attack Yuki when they were blinded, seeing how Eon would see his movement. Not that she felt extremely confident in her ability to read his attack fast enough and dodge, luckily, he didn't know that. 

She channelled chakra to her cursed seal, power surging through her as the shadows around her seeped upwards, enveloping her and the surroundings. The moonlight was blocked out as the orb of shadows surrounded the clearing. 

Yuki's golden chain's shot out from her the moment she noticed the orb forming, placing several obstacles around them. She was used to fighting around them, as was Eon, and though Madara would be able to see perfectly, he probably wouldn't be able to read the surroundings as well as the two. Yuki created another mass of golden chakra, forming thousands of chakra needles which spread out through the domain. 

Eon charged forwards, moving through the chains with practiced ease. Madara was heading at Yuki at a fast pace, but he didn't take the fastest route, in addition to Yuki moving upwards the chains, hanging around above the ground to get a better read on the environment. 

"Fire Style: Pheonix Flower Jutsu!" Eon exclaimed. She threw several shurien towards Madara, charging them with fire chakra, making a flurry of burning knives speed at Madara. Yuki followed the light of Eon's Kunai, getting Madara's general location. She shot hundreds of the golden needles down towards the area. Eon quickly send another flurry of kunai and shuriken, exploding tags among them. The sound of explosions ringed in her ears as smoke clouded her vision once again. 

Yuki joined Eon at her general location, still standing on her chains far above. Eon weaved through another set of hand seals. 

"Fire style: Running Fire!" A ring of fire surrounded her, releasing intense hit and lighting up the closest area. Luckily, the shadow orb blocked most of the light. 

A flicker in the ring made Eon spin around, her arms in a block with kunai in hand, blocking Madara's large sword. Madara aimed a kick at her side, Eon countered by using chakra in her feet to jump upwards, pushing Madara's sword upwards. Yuki grabbed her as she shot up, quickly throwing her back down while Eon threw several shuriken, lightning chakra surrounding them as they shot down towards him. Madara blocked them with ease. As Eon came down, kunai in hand and ready to slash at him, he stepped to the side, sword drawn and ready to strike. 

A golden great sword slammed his sword down, Yuki's eyes gleaming in excitement as a katana formed in her hand. Madara dropped his sword, jumping backwards to dodge Yuki's flurry of blows. He suddenly grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully. Yuki yelped in Pain as she crouched to the ground. Madara kicked her backwards. Eon came rushing at him straight after wards, jumping over Yuki's rolling body and blocked a slash from Madara's kunai. Eon slid under his parted legs, her hands rushing through hand signs as she twister her body around. 

"Fire style: Great Fireball jutsu!" A large fireball shot at Madara's back. Madara jumped backwards, waving through the exact same hand signs. A larger, nearly white fireball shot down towards Eon's fireball, swallowing it up and continued on its way towards Eon. A golden chain shot down from above, wrapping itself around Eon as it yanked her upwards, shooting her up back in the sky. Shadow like wings sprouted from Eon's back as she took control of her sudden flight, hovering up in the sky as Madara stared at them calmly. 

Suddenly, the chains in Madara's area grew in size, large spikes sprouted out from them, impaling Madara on all sides. Eon went through a couple of hand signs again. Four shadow clones appeared around her. 

"Lighting Strike!" She shouted. Five bolts of lightning shot down towards Madara from different directions, followed up by a flurry of explosion tags. The explosion was greater than she imagined, and as she fell to the ground Yuki's chains retreated, and her own shadow orb fell, once again leaving them under the night sky. 

Madara's body was torn in several places, but it looked like he was made of... paper? 

\-- 

Ryuusuke jumped backwards, dodging yet another slash from Duck butt's sword. He brought the Shokan up to a block as Duck butt brought his sword down towards him. Ryuusuke knew he was physically stronger than Duck butt, perks of being an Uzumaki. He pushed Duck butt's sword back, slipping under the other's defence and swung his leg upwards in an uppercut kick. Duck butt blocked the kick with his free arm, recovering from being overpowered by Ryuusuke quickly. 

Ryuusuke swept under Duck butt's next attack, swinging his sword at Duck butt's legs with the intent of incapacitating him. However, Duck butt jumped upwards quickly, weaving through a series of hand signs before hurling a large fireball at Ryuusuke. Ryuusuke grinned, going through his own hand seals quickly, channelling the kyuubi chakra to power his attack. 

A gust of wind roared towards the fireball, and normally wind would be at disadvantage, however applying enough force would overpower even Duck butt's fireball, which was exactly what Ryuusuke intended to do. The gust of wind got enveloped by the flame as the two jutsu clashed, before a combined attack of the two came shooting back towards Duck butt. The masked man disappeared in a cloud of smoke, a log being incinerated in his place. 

The two teenagers rushed at each other once again, their swords crashing into each other with a sharp cling, the sound ringing through the clearing. Red eyes met blue. Ryuusuke's eyed widened in surprise. 

"The sharingan?" He asked. Duck butt revealed nothing, not really surprising with the maks covering half his face. Ryuusuke wondered how he hadn't noticed earlier. 

"You... you must be Sasuke," he said. 

Duck butt jumped back, his eyebrows knitted together in rage as his eyes stared at him intensely. 

"Bull's eye," Ryuusuke said, lowering his sword slightly. "I must say, I prefer your brother much more, he's quite worried about you, you know," Sasuke roared in rage in reply, rushing at Ryuusuke again. Ryuusuke brought his sword back up in a block, stopping Sasuke's attack easily. 

"That man is going to die! Just like you! Where is he?!" Sasuke roared. Ryuusuke scoffed as he twirled around, throwing Sasuke's sword out of his grip. 

"Why should I tell you? You don't look like you're gonna sit down and talk quietly, Itachi is important to me," Ryuusuke replied. 

"Important? The man is a murderer!" Sasuke shouted. 

"That man is a hero, not that you would understand, Mr. I wish to create an illusion and trap everyone in it unwillingly because my life is shitty so then everyone must pay for it," Ryuusuke sing songed. Sasuke growled, grabbing a kunai from his pouch and slashing it upwards. Ryuusuke's eyes flashed golden, he whipped his head backwards, dodging the slash easily. 

"You know," Ryuusuke started as he jumped backwards, dodging Sasuke's continued barrage of attacks. "The Uchiha clan actually attempted a coup on the village, filled with jealousy and hatred. Believed it was their right to rule the village. Of course, after the Kyuubi attack they were placed under heavy suspicion, since only an Uchiha can control the Kyuubi like that night. Itachi and Uchiha Shisui were the only Uchiha loyal to the village, and they both played as double agents. In the end, Shisui was killed by Shimura Danzo, and Itachi, someone who truly believed peace between the village and the clan was possible, was given an ultimatum by Danzo." Ryuusuke continued to explain. 

"He could not exterminate the Uchiha clan and sit idly by as Danzo's own organisation root would take them all out, and Itachi would either be placed under suspicion in the village, or somehow find himself in... less favourable circumstances. Or, he could kill the clan, and you Sasuke, his little brother, would be spared." Ryuusuke said. 

"Shut up!" Sasuke screamed as he rushed at Ryuusuke again. 

"Itachi would do anything for you! He lied to you, so you would hate him, so that you would grow stronger and eventually avenge the Uchiha clan and put Itachi out of his own misery!" Ryuusuke shouted. 

"That's not true!" Sasuke roared back. 

"I mean, I would love to have him explain it to you himself, but you are dead set on killing him, and he is my mentor and dear friend," Ryuusuke retorted. 

Sasuke roared once again, one could wonder if he wouldn't ruin his voice the way he screamed and shouted. The Uchiha came rushing at Ryuusuke, his attacks fierce and filled with rage. They locked in hand to hand combat. Ryuusuke grit his teeth angrily. He might be physically stronger than Sasuke, but Sasuke was more precise and better trained in taijutsu than himself. 

"Itachi killed them all, he took away everything from me! He must pay!" 

"That was what Itachi thought as well, but I – thank god for that – made him realize that he didn't take away everything! You two still have each other! The Uchiha clan is not dead! Imagine Sasuke, if you killed Itachi; you would truly be alone! You would miss out on the greatest big brother you could ever have, you would miss out on your last remaining family – and for what? Revenge? For someone who did everything he could to protect you! He was doing everything in his power to find you, and then we discover that you join a mercenary group dead intent on destroying the world!" Ryuusuke shouted. 

"Shut up! The infinite Tsukuyomi will make things better for everyone! Even you! Imagine everything being perfect, how much better your life would be! No hatred, no wars, no evil!" Sasuke roared. 

"Your right there would be no evil, because it would all be left out here with you!" Ryuusuke shouted back. 

They jumped away from each other, panting as they stared into each other's eyes. 

"Itachi – he has spent all this time looking for you! He cares about you so much! He knew you would never understand why he did what he did, but despite this he always came chasing after you! He believed that you could avenge the Uchiha clan by killing him – but I see what will happen clearly!" Ryuusuke said. "Itachi would go easy on you, die and you would be left alone with the knowledge that he always loved you, that he was a hero and not a villain. That knowledge would drive you insane, and you will end up alone," Ryuusuke drew forth the kyuubi chakra, the golden energy surrounding him as he once again entered Kyuubi mode. 

"I will give you one last chance to back down, or else I will not hold back." Ryuusuke said. Sasuke didn't say anything, the sharingan glowing eerily in the darkness. Ryuusuke's eyes steeled, the slit golden irises narrowing as he readied himself. Sasuke got into his own battle position, taking a deep breath before he met Ryuusuke's gaze. 

"So be it," 

\- 

Yuki and Eon stiffened as they watched Madara regenerate from their last attack. Eon narrowed her eyes, studying Madara's face closer. 

"He's a reanimation. The only way to defeat him is by incapacitating and then seal him. Reanimations have an infinite amount of chakra, and they always heal – regardless of the wounds." Eon explained. 

"I think one of those were at the base we were at last, it's why the entire platoon fell," Yuki commented. Eon nodded in reply. 

"I don't know any sealing jutsu," Eon stated. Anxiety was building up inside her, the slight irritation that the one ninja art she hadn't had any experience in just came up as a crucial part for her own survival. She stared at Madara, her sharingan spinning wildly as the frustration of the whole thing caught up with her. A bubbling feeling in her chakra system shook her out of her staring contest with the dead Uchiha. It continued to grow stronger and stronger, a burning sensation in her entire chakra system. A searing pain behind her eyes made her flinch, falling to her knees as she pressed her palms against her eyeballs, trying to do something to abbreviate her pain. 

"Eon!" Yuki exclaimed. She hurried over to Eon's side, trying to see if she could find any physical injuries. There didn't seem to be any wounds she had overlooked, just Eon's sudden agonizing pain – by her perspective in her eyes. Her own eyes trailed over to Madara, who was simply standing in the same position, impaled by the chains that held him in place. Yuki pressed her lips together, they had the disadvantage for the time being, even if Madara was stuck in her chains. He would probably break free soon enough, something that wasn't exactly an idea she favoured at the moment. She placed her hands over Eon's, forcefully removing them so she could see Eon's bloodshot eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise, a small gasp escaping her. 

"Eon – your eyes!" She said. Eon raised an eyebrow, sweat trailed down the side of her face as she let out a ragged breath, the pain finally easing. 

"What about them?" She asked. 

"Uhm, I don't really know how to explain it but – the sharingan pattern on your right eye has changed, it's looks like – I don't really know... a sun of a sort? The other one – it's the same as Pain's!" Yuki exclaimed. Eon looked back at her, shock clear as day. 

"That's – well I would say impossible, but to be honest there's too much strangeness for my liking at the moment, I shouldn't really be surprised," Eon said dryly. 

"Rinnegan, huh?" Madara's voice sounded from next to them. Yuki and Eon whipped their heads towards him. How had they not noticed his approach? Eon, with her newfound visual prowess, managed to predict Madara's movements and bolted away, gaining a favourable distance. Yuki however, not granted with God's visual, took a roundabout kick straight to the gut, which sent her flying into the trees a distance away. Eon could hear bones crush under the impact, but she knew that Yuki would endure, it was in her blood after all. 

"You save me some trouble by having that, won't you be as kind as to use the rinne tensei and revive me, I could spare your life in return," Madara said. Eon raised an eyebrow. 

"Rinne Tensei?" Eon asked. 

"It's a revival technique, able to restore reanimations to life," Madara explained. 

"Why on earth would I want that?" Eon scoffed. Madara chuckled in reply. He tilted his head sideways, a mischevious smirk playing on his lips. Hoewver, the madness in Madara's eyes were easy to be recognised. 

"I told you, I might spare your life. Is this war really worth fighting? You're protecting your comrade, the container, and for what reason? Isn't it his fault that the majority of the world's population is currently in their graves? If it hadn't been for him, this war wouldn't even had occurred, because then all the jinchuuriki would already have been captured," Madara said. Eon could see Yuki glaring at Madara from her position. Eon bit her lip, hoping that her teammate wouldn't jump into action just yet. 

"Ryuusuke is my teammate, and my friend. Hell, I could even consider him my brother," Eon said, chuckling at the end. She tried to weight the different paths ahead of her. On one hand, neither she or Yuki knew any sealing jutsu. If anything, Ryuusuke as the only one who would be close to anything of the sort. By reviving Madara, they would also have the opportunity to kill him, they had already mortally wounded him once, albeit with difficulity. However, it also was to say that Madara knew that he was a reanimation and wasn't as careful with his movements as he would have been had he known that he could die. Either, she and Yuki could try to hold out until Ryuusuke came back from his fight – if he came back from his fight, or she could do as Madara said and revive him, making it possible to kill him. 

"How do I do it?" Eon asked carefully. She heard Yuki's soft gasp as her teammate had gotten close enough to hear their conversation. Eon glanced at her, trying to signal that she had a plan. A bad one, but a plan nonetheless. A lesser of two evils, if you would. 

"Simple, you mould through the ram and snake sign, using your rinnegan power," Madara said. 

"Any drawbacks?" Eon knew the answer. Of course, there would be. Reviving someone would not come at a cheap price. However, she had hope that her newly increase of chakra and Yuki's healing powers, perhaps even the little Ryuusuke knew would be enough to save her if anything went wrong. 

"No drawbacks that I know of," Madara said. _Liar._ Eon's thought commented dryly. 

"Fine then," Eon said. 

"Eon, wait! This is insane! Of course there are draw backs! Why are you trusting him?!" Yuki shouted. Eon looked at her, their eyes meeting. The silent conversation between them didn't go unnoticed by Madara. _It's a gamble and I know it, but I will be fine._

_You better._

Eon went over to Madara slowly, her gaze not leaving the man as she halted a couple of meters before him. She weaved through the hand seals carefully, feeling the chakra being drawn from her. 

"Gedo – Rinne Tensei No Jutsu," she whispered, the words coming in on instinct. A large head came out of the ground behind her, opening its mouth – a single green chakra like thing came out, flying towards Madara and crashing into his chest. The head began to sink into the ground, and Eon could feel her chakra depleting rapidly. Once the head was gone, Eon fell to her knees, exhaustion hitting her like a ton of bricks as she struggled to hold her head upright. 

"Eon!" Yuki screamed from behind her. It was hazy, Eon noticed. She couldn't really hear well, and her vision was blurring as well. She closed her eyes tiredly, letting the exhaustion take over. 

Yuki slid underneath Eon's falling body, catching her head as it almost smacked right into the ground. She watched with terrified eyes as Eon's raven hair began to turn white, like it was withering away. 

"You," Yuki snarled and turned to face Madara as she held Eon on her lap protectively. Madara stared back at her, onyx eyes blankly looking at the two girls. 

"...I didn't expect my sharingan to disappear, but no matter – I'll just take it from that bastard Nara," Madara said. Yuki's eyes widened. She threw Eon over her shoulder, jumping away as quickly as she could. 

"No way," Yuki said determinedly. She gently placed Eon down in front of her, placing her hand on her chest out of instinct. A white sun, just like the one on her hand, surrounded by what looked like a sealing pattern spread out over Eon's clothing. That would stabilize her for now, a bitter thought, but at least it was better than Eon nearly greeting death for the third time within the week. 

"Well then, Uzumaki, let's see if you are anything as good as Mito. Maybe you can stall me long enough for me to recognise your strength," Madara said and crouched slightly, drawing the large sword from his back. Yuki bit her lip slightly, before sucking in a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she let her doubts fall out of her. Concentrated eyes fell on Madara, an aura unseen before surrounding her. 

"I won't lose," 

\- 

Ryuusuke sidestepped from another rage infused strike from Sasuke. The raven-haired male had not let up on his onslaught, and though Ryuusuke knew he had to strike the Uchiha down at some point, he still felt a sting of regret. He wanted Sasuke to start anew, since the other teenager had – just like himself – been dealt with horrible cards, and life kicked him around like a ball. Ryuusuke knew how that felt, being led around by people, only been given half truths about something you had a right to know. Ryuusuke grit his teeth in frustration. Sasuke came down on him once again. Ryuusuke leaned to the side, grabbing Sasuke's extended arm and pulled him off balance. A kick to the back of his knee forced Sasuke to kneel. Ryuusuke grabbed a kunai, placing it at Sasuke's throat and pushing closely, a trickle of blood dripping down from the fresh wound. 

"I will give you another piece of information I have gotten from Itachi, I am certain it will change your views," Ryuusuke said lowly. Sasuke struggled against his grip, but Ryuusuke held him firmly. 

"Nothing you say will change my mind!" Sasuke growled. Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow, amused. Ryuusuke took a deep breath, looking down at Sasuke with pitiful eyes. Luckily for him, Sasuke wasn't looking back at him. It certainly wouldn't have helped his case. 

"That man you're working with, Uchiha Madara, is the worst traitor in Konoha history, and not only a traitor to the village, but also a traitor to the Uchiha clan," Ryuusuke said. "When Itachi wiped out the clan, he did not work alone," Ryuusuke continued. He could feel Sasuke stiffen in his grip. 

"Did you really think Itachi could? Sure, he was a genious, but no thirteen-year-old could kill his entire clan – made up of elite ninja – alone. He didn't even fight your parents, he told me that a parent's love would never be doubted, because even when Itachi was to kill your parents, they didn't back down, all they asked was for him to take care of _you_ ," Ryuusuke said. "I have no clue as to why, Itachi believed in peace and decided that even if his actions were horrible – they were justifiable in the village's view, however he was so guilt ridden that he believed he deserved punishment, and you were the only one being able to do that. However, you ended up being a traitor on the level of Madara, a man who willingly slaughtered your clan and stole their eyes for good measure. You won't be able to avenge the Uchiha clan, because you are well on your way to destroying it for yourself!" Ryuusuke said and pushed Sasuke away from him. Sasuke landed on the ground harshly. Ryuusuke thought he might have knocked the boy unconscious, seeing how he didn't stand up, however it soon was noticable that he was shaking. 

"I understand that you would hate Konoha," Ryuusuke started again. "I did too, for a while. However, hatred gets you nowhere, Sasuke. It only leads to more hatred. It consumes you, turning you into a shell of what you once was. Think back of your childhood with Itachi; you can still have that," Ryuusuke said. "I swear to you that if you came with me to Itachi, he would probably not even fight you at full strength, he has grown with the regret, but his time in Uzu changed him. If you went there now, and said that you forgive him, he would probably just bow his head, ready to accept his judgement." Ryuusuke whispered. "Itachi is like a brother to me, a mentor, a connection when no one else was there, I understand that you hate him for what you did, but I believe that you and Itachi's bond can not be broken so easily," Ryuusuke let his sword drop to the ground. He walked over to Sasuke, grabbing a hold of his shoulder as he could feel the other teenager sobbing. 

He had no more words to say. He knew nothing of comforting others, nor did he haave any more information that he could supply Sasuke with. He had told him everything he knew. Ryuusuke sat down next to him, not looking directly at him, but staring at the moon as he tried his best to be some kind of support. 

"My name is Namikaze Ryuusuke, by the way, we were classmates at some point, though I didn't really notice you for anything other than your huge fanclub and arrogance," Ryuusuke said. He heard Sasuke laugh bitterly. 

"You were not better yourself, at least half of the girls were over you, and you really had this 'you're not worth my time aura'," Sasuke commented, his voice shaking. Ryuusuke laughed. 

"I suppose that's true," He said. Sasuke sat up, staring at the moon together with him. 

"Madara, he was working with Danzo," Sasuke said. 

"Doesn't surprise me," Ryuusuke commented dryly. 

"I will kill him," Sasuke said. Ryuusuke withheld a sigh. 

"We can do it together, my teammates are still fighting him I think," Ryuusuke said. 

"You sure they aren't already dead?" Sasuke asked. 

"Either they are still fighting, or Madara's dead," Ryuusuke said. He stood up, reaching a hand out to Sasuke. "What made you change your mind?" Ryuusuke asked. Sasuke grabbed his arm, pulling himself up with Ryuusuke's support. 

"Madara, I overlooked some of the things he did because I was blinded by my hatred, but your words just kept ringing in me, at the moment, I feel like I was in this sort of haze... but the memories of Itachi, the thought of losing my last remaining family, despite what he did... we are shinobi, we endure," Sasuke said. Ryuusuke grinned. 

"Couldn't have said it better myself," he picked up the Shokan from the ground. "Now, we should head over to Yuki and Eon and lend them some support, don't you think?" He asked. Sasuke nodded. 

"I have been a bit curious of our combined strength," he said. 

\-- 

Yuki sent another barrage of chakra spears towards Madara, rushing in along with them as she formed a chakra kunai in her hand. Her hands rushed thorugh hand seals as a barrage of water bullets shot towards Madara. He avoided the spears with relative ease, using an earth jutsu to protect himself from the water bullets. However, Yuki came rushing from the side of the wall, throwing several kunai at rocket speed. Madara jumped backwards, but Yuki followed him closely. 

Small chains sprouted out from her back, grabbing a hold of Madara's arms and legs as Yuki rushed in with a combo of martial attacks. Madara disappeared in a cloud of smoke. _Replacement,_ Yuki thought dryly as she reached out with her chakra. Madara's malicious chakra was easy to detect, and she sped at him again. 

Without the sharingan, Madara was much less of a threat that what she supposed he would be with it. She knew that the sharingan had many abilities, and that Eon had not even scratched the surface of it with her limited knowledge. Kakashi had confided that the Mangekyo sharingan was the next stage of the sharingan, and that it gained you one visual prowess that changed from person to person, in addition to the Uchiha ultimate defence; the Susanoo, which was a sort of chakra armor. 

However, without the sharingan, which had disappeared when Madara was reanimated, Madara had been severely weakened. Though it wasn't as he wasn't a skilled ninja without it. Yuki could feel the gap between their strength, at least what she had before she was upgraded by the Sage of the six paths. She felt connected to everything, and her strength had improved massively over a short amount of time. As had her speed, stamina and reaction time. 

She slid under Madara's sudden kick, using her momentum to launch a couple of water bullets to Madara's back. He dodged them, firing a fireball straight at her. Weaving through hand signs as fast as she could, a tsunami of water crashed against the fireball. Water vapour shrouded the area in thick mist. Yuki rushed ahead, using the mist as a cover for her onslaught of close combat attacks. 

Madara's normal armor was bad enough in itself, leaving only few areas of where her hits had any real damage. Sure, hitting the armour would deal some damage, but she also had a higher chance of hurting herself. It was annoying, to say the least. 

At least Madara hadn't gone after Eon during their fight, meaning that he was more interested in her at the moment, which was a relief. Yuki sent another rain of chains towards Madara, making him avoid them at the best of his ability while Yuki created a couple of shadow clones. It didn't drain her reserves as much as she would have thought, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. 

The shadow clones sent a barrage of water and lightning dragon combos. Yuki created another set of clones to rush in at Madara. She herself worked together with another set of clones, molding chakra carefully between them. As Madara finished with her clones that had run up to him, Yuki acted on instict. Her eyes flashed golden as she and four other clones sent a dragon of each elemental chakra towards Madara, followed by a barrage of kunai, shuriken and senbon all made out of her golden chakra. The explosion that followed was huge, and Yuki could see Madara's body crashing into the distance. Yuki could feel herself grin. 

_She had_ _singlehandedly_ _pushed back one of the strongest – if not the strongest – ninja in the world._

She felt herself release a breath she didn't know she had held. Her attention snapped to the side as she saw two figures rush towards her. A ring of chakra moulded above her, forming into a circle of kunai quickly. 

"Hold your fire, Yuki, it's me!" Ryuusuke screamed from the distance. Yuki blinked, now recognising her blond teammate as he ran towards her, along with the masked man from before. 

"Where's Eon? Where's Madara?" Ryuuskue asked quickly as he took a look around. Yuki's eyes widened. 

"Eon!" She exclaimed as she spun around, running back towards where she had left her teammate. Eon's hair was completely white, and her face was paler than usual. Soft breathing let them know she was alive however, albeit barely. 

"What happened?" Ryuusuke asked as he knelt down next to the Nara. 

"She revived Madara using a rinnegan technique," Yuki said. 

"Rinnegan?" Ryuusuke asked, shocked. Yuki nodded. 

"She awakened it during our battle with Madara," she explained. Ryuusuke hummed, admiration flashing across his face. "I asked her not to do it, however she said she had some sort of plan," Yuki said. 

"Madara couldn't be killed as a reanimation, and he needs to be revived by the rinne tensei. He originally planned to have Nagato do it, but since Nagato switched sides, we would have to steal his eyes at some point. If he gets all the tailed beasts now, he can become the jinchuuriki of the ten tails, which is only possible to do when you are alive. It would bring forth the ability to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Sasuke said. 

"Isn't he our enemy?" Yuki asked. Ryuusuke laughed. 

"Not anymore, a good talk is all he needed, though there was some fighting involved, but we're cool. It's Sasuke Uchiha! From our class!" Ryuusuke said with a grin. Yuki's eyes widened. 

"You are the boy half of the class were in love with!" She exclaimed. Ryuusuke howled in laughter as Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. 

"Anyway, what will we do with Eon? And not to mention – Madara? And then there is the entire, who is alive in the world question," Ryuusuke said after he sobered up from his laughter. 

"I blasted Madara off with a couple of hundred weapons and five elemental dragons, he should be out of for a while at least, especially after his chakra being drained after being revived, and the loss of his sharingan," Yuki said. Ryuusuke blinked in surprise. 

"Wait a second, you fought Madara alone?!" He asked incredulously. Yuki nodded blankly. 

"Note to self; never piss her off," Ryuusuke mumbled. Sasuke nodded in agreement from his side. 

"For Eon... well I don’t know anything about the rinnegan or it's abilities, nor anything about the technique she used," Yuki said quietly. A snap of a branch switched the group's attention from Eon to the edge of the clearing. 

"I do," a voice said. A redheaded man came out from the forest, large black rods sticking out of his back. He was leaning on a blue haired woman with amber eyes. 

"Nagato," Ryuusuke said, a small smile on his face. 

"Hello, Ryuusuke," He said, returning the smile. 

"The technique your friend used was the rinne tensei, albeit a weaker version of it since she has yet to properly develop her rinnegan. She is exhausted, but she will live," Nagato said. He stopped in front of Ryuusuke. 

"I know what happened, and it is time I pay for my sins. I will help your cause, Ryuusuke, as a tribute to the memory of Jiraiya-sensei's wish for me becoming one of the world's peacekeepers, and to finally atone for all the pain and suffering I have caused." Nagato said. He looked at the woman next to him with sad eyes. 

"Konan, it is time for me to join Yahiko. Live on for both of us," he said with a smile. The woman – Konan, looked away, tears dripping down her face as she tried not to lose her composure in front of the rest of the group. 

"Nagato – what are you doing?" Ryuusuke asked lowly. Nagato gave him a small grin. 

"I'm going to fix your small mistake, fellow student," Nagato said. He backed a bit away from them, giving the group one final grin before slamming his hands together. 

"Rinne tensei no jutsu!" He exclaimed. Ryuusuke's eyes widened in alarm. 

"Nagato – no!" He screamed. A large head came out from the ground behind Nagato, growing until it was at least taller than your average house, it's mouth wide open as thousands of green balls of energy spouted out of it. Nagato's red hair turned white as the process continued, his breathing more and more ragged. Ryuusuke was about to run over there, but Yuki held him back. A knowing look on her face made Ryuusuke hesitate. 

The being behind Nagato closed its mouth, receding back into the ground. Nagato opened his eyes wearily. 

"I have resurrected the Shinobi Alliance, and those who died by the blast of the Gedo Mazo," Nagato said. He smiled, closing his eyes as he succumbed to exhaustion. As he fell to the ground, Konan and Yuki sped over to him. Konan to cradle him, but no one really knew what Yuki was doing. She placed her hand on Nagato's chest, the seal Ryuusuke had noticed on Eon appearing at Nagato as well. 

"This will stabilize him – he is exhausted and will probably need chakra transfusion very soon, but if we seal him in a storage seal we can delay it – Ryuusuke?" She shouted. Ryuusuke nodded hurrily. He grabbed an empty scroll out of his pouch, running over to Yuki and Nagato. With the use of chakra, he quickly drew a storage seal on the scroll. Boy, was he glad he had memorized this seal. He made it large enough to store a person. 

"We should pull out the chakra receiving rods," Konan said quickly as she began removing the large rods from Nagato's back. Yuki and Ryuusuke nodded and made quick work of the spectacle that was Nagato's back. As the rods were all removed, Ryuusuke sealed Nagato into the scroll, handing it to Konan. 

"Do you remember the general location of Uzushio?" He asked her. She nodded. Ryuusuke drew a quick seal on her wrist. "This will allow you to see the village even with the barrier activated, there are medical ninja on standby there, they should be alive now. Get Nagato there quickly!" Ryuusuke said. Konan nodded. Paper sprouted out from under her cloak, forming wings on her back. She flew off towards the direction of Uzu. Ryuusuke sighed. 

"This is way too much for me to handle in such a short amount of time," he mumbled tiredly as he ran a hand through his hair. 

"We should find Madara's body, as well as Obito-sensei or Kakashi-sensei," Ryuusuke said. Yuki nodded. They headed back to Sasuke and Eon, the latter still unconscious. 

"We need to find a way to contact the Shinobi Alliance HQ, to explain the situation," Yuki said. 

"Our best chance is to at least find one of the camps, equipment should still be there, the closest one is not too far away, but I'm not sure if there is anyone there or if we know how to operate the communication devices," Ryuusuke said. Yuki and Sasuke nodded. Ryuusuke created a shadow clone that, with the help of Ryuusuke, carried Eon on his back. 

"It will also provide cover for the time being," Sasuke stated. The group hurried towards the camp, and it wasn't exactly surprising that there was only a couple of confused chuunins there. 

"Uzukage-sama!" They said as they noticed Ryuusuke and the group. Ryuusuke almost blushed in embarrasment, he still wasn't really used to being respected. 

"At ease," he said awkwardly. "Are there any ways to contact HQ here?" He asked. One of the chuunin nodded uncertainly. 

"We can contact one of the main bases, not the headquarters, since only a few lines go to there," the Chuunin said. Ryuusuke nodded and motioned for the chuunin to lead the way. 

Inside a tent that was pretty torn up, Ryuusuke watched carefully as the chuunin managed the communication device. It was a lot of noise at first, but after a while the sound of cheers rang through the radio. 

"Is anyone there?" The chuunin asked into the microphone. He tried again a couple of times before a familiar voice came out from the speakers. 

"Commander Hatake here, who is this?" Kakashi's voice called through the radio. The chuunin motioned for Ryuusuke to talk. 

"Kakashi-sensei, this is Ryuusuke calling from a minor camp by the border between land of fire and Oto, Eon and Yuki are with me, along with Sasuke Uchiha. There are two chuunin here as well," Ryuusuke said. 

"You're alright, that's the most important thing. Do you know anything about what has happened?" Kakashi asked. Ryuusuke nodded, having forgot that Kakashi could not actually see him. 

"Yes, but I think it's better to explain in person. What's your location?" Ryuusuke asked. 

"We're not that far away from the enemy's headquarters in Oto, it's around a day's travel away from your location if I'm not wrong," Kakashi said. 

"We'll head over there as soon as possible," Ryuusuke said. 

"Good, be careful," Kakashi said 

"Will do, see you soon, Kakashi-sensei," 


	18. Connection

Ryuusuke wasn't really paying attention to anything during their travel to Kakashi's location. In all honesty, he was exhausted and would much rather just take a long nap. He didn't exactly feel comfortable going back towards the Demonic statue, not after detonating a world destructive bomb. As they sped down the past towards Oto, Ryuusuke could vividly recall the dead bodies that had been spread throughout the land that he'd seen when escaping with Eon and Yuki.

Sasuke trailed closely behind him, the Uchiha haven grown a certain tightness with Ryuusuke after their battle. It was a comforting presence, in a way, because Ryuusuke knew that Sasuke held no ill feelings towards his actions. He was unsure about Eon and Yuki's emotion regarding the entire 'I almost killed the entire world' situation, though he was certain that they didn't really dwell on it. Nagato's sacrifice obviously wouldn't go unnoticed, but they didn't know anything about the real effects of the blast. They hadn't seen it themselves.

As they got closer to Kakashi's estimated location, Ryuusuke could feel exhaustion building up with every step. He couldn't wait to lay down for at least an hour or two. If he was lucky, he'd be back in his bed in Uzushio before he knew it. No more stress or pressure, just a long nap.

Seeing Sakura again was also a welcomed thought. The general warmness of her presence gave Ryuusuke a security he had not felt before, a feeling of home, he presumed.

They noticed the camp not nearly soon enough, and they were easily spotted by the sentries who gave the signal that they had arrived. The chuunin from the other camp was quickly checked by medical nin and sorted, while Ryuusuke and the remains of the group was ushered towards the tent were Kakashi was residing.

As they entered the tent, the first thing they could see was Kakashi along with Shikamaru and Kousuke. Ryuusuke turned to face Yuki the moment he noticed Kousuke, seeing his cousin's face light up as she and Kousuke quickly made their way to each other. A quick embrace, a check for injuries, reassurances of their health was exchanged hurriedly as the two teenagers relished in each other's company. Ryuusuke hummed in amusement and turned his attention to Kakashi. Eon went over to Shikamaru, standing neatly next to her own cousin.

"Now, while I'm glad to see you all in one piece, I would very much like a proper explanation to what the hell is going on," Kakashi said with a smile. Ryuusuke chuckled, dread swelling up inside him again. It wasn't every day you told your teacher you could have potentially killed him and the rest of the population.

"I'll make it somewhat short, I guess," Ryuusuke started. "As some of you know, Uzu entered the war shortly after I defeated the leader of Akatsuki, Pain. So, not long after the jinchuuriki's were sorta captured I guess, overwhelmed and soon after their bijuu was extracted and put inside the demonic statue. So, I got quite scared because I was the last jinchuuriki remainig, so I decided to retrieve the bijuu with knowledge gained from my tailed beast. So, I infiltrated the headquarters, stole the tailed beasts and accidentally made the whole statue release an explosion that might've killed everyone in this area and all the way to southern Land of Fire by the looks of it," Ryuusuke said. He halted, meeting Kakashi's unfazed gaze.

"Anyway, I literally ran as fast as I could to Eon and Yuki's location, barely making it to shield them from harm using the combined tailed beasts' chakra and we sort of became the lone survivors save some that I might not have seen – in addition to Sasuke here and Uchiha Madara," Ryuusuke said.

"I fought Sasuke, managed to turn him over to our side after an incredibly long dialogue – while Yuki and Eon fought Madara, though I guess they can tell you the details about that," Ryuusuke gestured to Yuki to step forward.

"Me and Eon went forth with coordinated attacks at first, but soon we figured out that Madara was a reanimation. Eon – being extremely reckless and stupid – used her newly awakened rinnegan to revive Madara, though she became severely exhausted, hence her current state," Yuki said and gave Eon a small glare of disapproval.

"After Eon became unconscious, I fought Madara alone to protect her from him stealing her eyes. It ended up with me kicking him off into the distance, I haven't gotten a clue to where he is now," Yuki said shortly and stepped backwards, motioning for Ryuusuke to continue.

"Me and Sasuke arrived soon after their battle was finished, which is when the leader of Akatsuki, Pain, or Nagato, came to us. He used his own rinnegan to revive everyone that died from the blast created by myself, he is currently in critical condition on his way to Uzu for medical attention," Ryuusuke said. "After that, we made our way to the chuunin camp to make contact with you, and that's where we are now," Ryuusuke finished. Kakashi stared at him blankly, before a deep sigh escaped his lips.

"Mah, that's a lot," he said. Ryuusuke nodded, sharing Kakashi's annoyance. "Yuki, your mother Hamako is outside. In addition to all of your fellow comrades, I think it's time we put our next objective to locating Madara's body and properly investigating the demonic statue," Kakashi said. "But first, I would like you to rest up a bit," Kakashi ordered and dismissed them.

Ryuusuke got sorted into a tent almost immediately, a perk of being the Uzukage, and promptly collapsed onto a bed that had been placed there. It didn't take long before he fell asleep, darkness taking over.

\--

He woke up from Sasuke gently kicking his face. A groan escaped him as he tried to hide himself within the bed, to no avail. The Uchiha grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him to his legs.

"The commander wants us to get ready for the demonic statue part of the mission as soon as possible," Sasuke said. Ryuusuke huffed in annoyance but got up nonetheless. He and Sasuke walked out of the tent, quickly finding Eon, Yuki and Kousuke standing not too far away.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty, are you ready to go?" Eon asked Ryuusuke teasingly. Ryuusuke rolled his eyes.

"Shut it, grandma," he shot back. Eon's eyebrow twitched.

"Now, now, you two. We have a mission to focus on," Yuki reprimanded gently. She gave her teammates a soft smile, the sunshine that was Uzumaki Yuki shining in all its glory. Ryuusuke grumbled incoherently about respect of rank, and that Eon had no regard of such thing.

"Now, since Kousuke will be joining you on this mission, we should clarify a couple of things," Kakashi's voice sounded from behind Ryuusuke. The blonde didn't even twitch, having sensed Kakashi's presence a long time ago. Kousuke however, jumped visibly, gaining a laugh from the group.

"Because of Ryuusuke and Sasuke, this is a co'ed village mission, and you will play by rank accordingly. I know you have respect of each other's opinions, but we're going to put a proper order on this," Kakashi said sternly.

"Ryuusuke, as a kage you are in charge. Yuki, Kosuke, you are both jonin and will be second in commands if anything we're to happen, if a disagreement occurs, Yuki will be in charge of the two of you. Eon, you are still a genin and Sasuke holds no rank, meaning that even though you won't like it, you need to trust your squad leader's development. Take this as a learning experience, because you will have to respect authority properly at some point," Kakashi said, knowing that his team didn't exactly have the best... respect for authority, to say the least.

"This is not to put differences between you, but to have a clear chain of command. I trust Ryuusuke's judgment with this, and I believe that he has more experience dealing with the demonic statue and the correlating information," Kakashi continued. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"Right, hurry up and we will organize the search for Madara," Kakashi said and walked away. Ryuusuke turned to look at the group with a grin.

"You heard him, pack your stuff and we leave in an hour, meet me at the north gate of the camp then," Ryuusuke said quickly. The group split up, hurrying on to get their belongings and stacking up on equipment.

Ryuusuke sighed deeply as he sat down on the bed inside his tent once again. He had led missions before, he wasn't nervous about that. However, he had a bad feeling. A sense of foreboding, if you will. However, despite the feeling in his gut, he also knew that they would have to deal with all of this eventually anyway, no reason to delay it. Besides, he had God Mode Eon and Yuki with him, along with Sasuke and Kousuke. What could possibly go wrong?

-

When Ryuusuke came face to face with the demonic statue again, he could almost feel the gaze of the statue on him. Perhaps it was the tailed beats inside him that drew the statue to him.

"We don't know much about the statue, other than it being able to hos all the tailed beasts," Ryuusuke said as he continued to stare at the statue.

"The statue is not only a statue, it is the body of the ten tails," Sasuke said. Ryuusuke turned to him with curious eyes.

"As the tailed beasts are absorbed into it, it will gain a monstrous strength and awaken, the goal is to become the jinchuuriki of the ten tails and use its power to cast the infinite tsukuyomi," Sasuke continued.

"Don't get the tailed beasts in that then," Ryuusuke commented dryly. Sasuke nodded.

"There should be ruins about the statue around here, we should split up," Sasuke said. Ryuusuke nodded.

"Yuki, Kousuke, you search one area. Sasuke, you go with Eon. I'll stay here, but I'll send a shadow clone with both groups for good measure. If anything happens you'll know, and I'll know," Ryuuuke said. The other four nodded. Ryuusuke gave a reaffirming nod, sending the two groups to each of their directions.

Ryuusuke released a breath he didn't know he'd held after the group disappeared out of sight. He turned to look at the statue once more, that feeling of fright and dread filling him once again.

A massive presence behind him made him spin around, adrenaline shooting through his body as he faced Madara. The Uchiha had a mad look on his face, and his arm was all but torn to shreds.

"Kyuubi, your friend did quite a number on me – but it's good that you are alone now," Madara smirked. A cackling laugh sounded through the cave. Ryuusuke was about to put his hands in a cross to release the shadow clones, however Madara appeared right next to him, delivering a chop to his neck. It didn't knock Ryuusuke out, but it forced him to his knees, panting as the air was knocked out of him. His throat hurt, and he met Madara's gaze with defiant eyes.

"I can get your friends later, now I should deal with you while I can," Madara said. Ryuusuke shot himself backwards, dodging Madara's sudden outstretched arm. He knew, he knew if Madara got a hold of him he would be able to extract him by paralyzing him first. Once again, he prepared to release his jutsu, but Madara rushed at him again. Ryuusuke spun around, running towards the demonic statue for cover. It wasn't a good cover, but it was a more rugged terrain that could serve to his advantage. As he got closer, a suddenly force made him stop dead in his tracks.

He could feel the tailed beasts' chakra starting to bubble inside him. He turned around, facing Madara's insane grin. His legs started to shake – the amount of killer intent this man held within him was suffocating – agonizing even. He didn't move, he could only stare as Madara got closer.

Black onyx eyes met golden.

"Goodbye, Kyuubi," Madara whispered.

A branch like structure shot out of the demonic statue, it was like it was made of pure chakra itself, however it was a white, bubbling substance rather than the usual blue and light energy. Ryuusuke closed his eyes, a moment of silence as he could feel tears pressing behinds his eyes.

 _This is the end,_ he thought.

A burning sensation made a blood curdling scream tear its way out of him, searing pain sprouting from his chest as the white substance pierced through him, lifting him up from the ground. He could feel his chakra leaving him, his own _and_ the tailed beasts' chakra. His breathing started to pick up rapidly, anxiety building up as true fear tore into him.

He couldn't see – he couldn't hear, all he could was feel the immense pain and suffering his body went through. His body felt like it was on fire, being torn into shreds. He didn't know he was still screaming – he couldn't think of anything other than the pain. So much pain. It felt like his chakra system had been torn out of him, forcefully ripped out and removed completely. He couldn't feel his arms or legs, and though he lost contact with his body, the pain was still as strong as ever.

And then, it all went black.

-

Eon knew the moment Ryuusuke's clone disappeared that something had gone wrong. To be honest, she should have expected it the moment he suggested to split up. His plan was sound, however, so she couldn't really argue. Especially considering that he was the squad captain. When the clone went up in smoke, she spared a short glance at Sasuke who shared his own shocked expression. With not even a word exchanged between the two, they ran back towards the location of the demonic statue.

However, a violent shaking the cave halted them in their tracks.

"It's going to collapse, we need to get out of here!" Sasuke shouted to Eon over the loud shaking. Eon shook her head violently.

"Ryuusuke is in trouble, we need to help him!" She shouted back. Sasuke grabbed her arm harshly.

"Ryuusuke can take care of himself, if we stay here we're going to die! We need to get out!" He screamed. Eon continued to shake her head, unwilling. She would not abandon her comrade. She would not leave Ryuusuke behind. She ripped herself out of Sasuke's grip. Jumping away from him for good measure.

"I will not leave him," she said darkly. Sasuke sighed, meeting her gaze.

"I know you're not a sensor type, or you would already have known but, Ryuusuke's chakra is gone, I'm not sure why but-" Sasuke's eyes widened. Eon could feel it to. A massive chakra, insane amount – extremely violent. You could feel the evil intent from it.

"What is that?" Eon asked. She looked at Sasuke, who was pale with wide eyes. When she looked closer, he was slightly shaking.

"The ten tails – it's revived!" He said. Eon's eyes widened.

"But Ryuusuke would never -"

"It's not Ryuusuke – Madara just released his chakra – he must have supressed himself!" Sasuke interrupted. He grabbed Eon's wrist and started to run towards the exit.

"The cave is collapsing because juubi is getting out of here! We need to move, or it will crush us!" Sasuke shouted. Eon swore under her breath. She started to run herself, towards the exit, she wouldn't save anyone by dying in the process. She knew that she and Yuki could seal the juubi – the sage of the six paths had said so.

Tears were pressing behind her eyes the entire way. As she and Sasuke left the cave, the Uchiha led her to Yuki and Kousuke. Kousuke was comforting a sobbing Yuki. Eon bit her lip, looking away in shame. Yuki had probably sensed Ryuusuke's chakra loss. She probably came to the same conclusion as Eon did. If the juubi is resurrected, Kaguya is probably following.

The ground shook violently, and the mountain the cave was in exploded into pieces. A titanic, monstrous form erupted from the mountain. Brown in colour, with ten massive tail like parts waving ominously behind it. A single, red eye with a sharingan and rinnegan like pattern stared at the world. Eon felt her legs lose strength underneath her.

They were supposed to fight _that?_

The juubi released a deafening roar, the power behind it making Eon channel chakra to her feet to stay in place. The beast didn't move. Eon lifted her gaze to the top of the juubi's head. A gasp escaped her.

On the top, Madara stood in all his glory. His arm was outstretched. From his hand dangled the unconcsious form of Ryuusuke. He had a gaping hole through his chest. His eyes were closed, his face sickly pale. It was unnatural, Eon thought. Ryuusuke, while silent, emitted this feeling of energy, he somehow gave away this light. When he was just... hanging by Madara's hand, unmoving, the energy around him gone, it was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Give him back!" Yuki roared from her position. Eon could vaguely see Madara smirk. He carelessly tossed Ryuusuke off the head, the blonde falling to the ground, the speed picking up the longer he fell. Eon was glad the juubi was tall, because if not she wouldn't have been sure if she would have made it.

Wings made of the shadow like, cursed seal chakra sprouted from her back. She sped forward, everything around her a blur as she activated her sharingan, only focusing on Ryuusuke's falling form. She almost crashed into him, catching his strangely frail form. The speed she was moving at made her almost run straight into a tree, however using her momentum she grabbed a hold of it with a ninja wire, slinging herself around before speeding back to Yuki and the group's position.

She tried not to look at Ryuusuke as she flew towards them. She was somewhat scared, she supposed. She landed on the ground quietly, a solemn expression decorating her face as she met Yuki's wide and terrified eyes. Eon placed Ryuusuke on the ground. She looked at his face, which was somewhat peaceful. Ryuusuke never had a peaceful expression, she thought. She bit her lip, her arms starting to shake while her body followed soon after. Tears that had pressed behind her eyes now fell freely. A choked sob escaped her as she pressed her eyes together. It was painful. So painful.

Yuki's soft chakra made her open her eyes. She saw Yuki sitting by Ryuusuke's body, green chakra hovering above the gaping wound as tears mixed with the blood.

"Yuki – it won't help," Sasuke said solemnly. He wasn't crinyg, but you could see that he was very disturbed. Eon supposed that he had connected with Ryuusuke in the short time they had known each other.

"I can try," she choked out. "Maybe I can still heal him," she whimpered.

"Even if you heal the physical body, he can live without the tailed beast chakra," Sasuke stated quietly.

"What-?" Yuki whispered. Sasuke looked away, shame in his eyes.

"When a tailed beast is extracted from the host, the host dies. They can't live without them," Eon replied. She looked at Ryuusuke's face once again before swearing loudly again.

"Why does he always go alone? Had we been together this would never have happened!" She shouted. She stared at Ryuusuke, shaking violently.

"Wake up," she whispered.

"I'm sorry to be the one to say it," Kousuke's voice sounded. He grabbed a hold of Yuki's shoulders to show physical comfort, Eon supposed. "But that Madara dude is going something," he said. Sasuke's eyes widened, he spun around and looked up.

"He's activating the infinite tsukoyomi, Eon you need to make a susanoo with me!" He said. Eon looked up bewildered.

"Susanoo?" She asked. Sasuke nodded. He offered her a quick explanation, not much at all. But soon the two sharingan wielders focused their chakra.

A large being rose around them, dressed with armour – the entirety made of chakra. They were safely covered within the susanoo.

"Do not leave here, if you're exposed to the moon you will be caught in the genjutsu," Sasuke said. "The infinite tsukoyomi traps anyone who is exposed, and the tree will hunt for people's chakra to maintain it," Sasuke continued. Eon's eyes widened.

"That will kill them!" She exclaimed. Sasuke shook his head.

"I don't think so, I believe the jubii will maintain the humans so they recover the chakra they lose before feeding on them again, while keeping them in their perfect reality," Sasuke said.

"However, we all know that's no way to face the world. Reality doesn't change because you place an illusion over it, and we will always know the harsh truth. Ryuusuke... he was right," Sasuke whispered the end, making it barely audible to the rest.

"Not to be the bad carrier again but, aren't you guys worried that Madara is controlling a massive tailed beast?" Kousuke said. Yuki chuckled half-heartedly, she took Kousuke's hand and squeezed reassuringly.

"Of course, we're worried," Yuki said. "However, me and Eon will be able to reseal it" Yuki said. She and Eon lifted their hands, showing the sun and moon mark.

"If we somehow could get the tailed beasts separated again, we could save Ryuusuke," Eon said. Yuki turned to face her with a puzzled expression.

"But Eon, if we seal away the ten tails, the separated parts will go with it," Yuki said. Eon shook her head.

"Not necessarily, after all, they have been separated before," Eon said.

"I'm not entirely sure what Madara is doing, but regardless of it the ten tails has already been turned into the God tree, which is meant to absorb chakra – he should be the jinchuuriki of it for the time being. We can think of a plan later, but we need to make a better distance. We don't know what he will do," Sasuke said. He met Eon's gaze who nodded back at him. The susanoo made a leap, travelling far away.

"I'm pretty sure Madara would have loved to check out the power of the ten tails, but considering the amounts of hindrances he has had, it doesn't surprise me he went right at it. Since we are at a disadvantage when it comes to size and fighting power, he won't bother with us. Our best shot is resealing the beast somewhere," Sasuke said. "Using the rinnegan, we would be able to seal the entire beast. In addition, by using Izanagi we will be able to split the bijuu back into their nine parts, since that was how they originally were created," he continued.

"I mean, Izanagi is basically making imagination reality, we can't guarantee that we get the exact same amount – which could also be a problem. However, I'm sure it's possible to restore them," Eon said.

"By splitting chakra and physical?" Kousuke pushed in. Sasuke and Eon turned to look at him.

"What?" They asked in unison.

"I mean, the demonic statue was the body of the ten tails, right?" He asked. Sasuke nodded. "Meaning that the chakra is still 'split' in nine parts, but in one body. The tailed beasts were made entirely from chakra, manifesting a physical form, however we know from Ryuusuke that they were sentient and very much like individuals," Kousuke continued.

"So, if we could split the body and the chakra we would most likely get what we had," Yuki finished. Kousuke nodded.

"That's a plan, I guess," Sasuke said. Eon nodded.

A bright light shone around them. Looking up towards the moon, the group could see the sharinnegan pattern reflecting on it.

"It's begun," Sasuke said. "The light will disappear after a while, we will have to wait before we get out. Eon, your rinnegan will protect us through the susanoo, mine is just there to give you extra protection if Madara decides to attack us," Sasuke continued.

Large shakings in the ground shook them out of their conversation.

"What is it now?" Eon asked, exasperated.

"That would be the God tree's roots manifesting around the world, capturing everyone in the infinite tsukoymi," Sasuke said dryly.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Sasuke and Eon lowered the Susanoo, letting the group back into the world.

They looked around, trying to get a sense of Madara's whereabouts. Eon couldn't help but to feel anxious. The area around them was barren, it all felt like the wasteland that had become the battlefield of the war. An unwilling image popped into her head. The bodies of her comrades had been scattered across the area, she could recall it so vividly. This entire war had been nothing but a waste of lives – not to mention a waste of time.

Madara suddenly came floating down. His hair had turned white, eyes purple with ringed patterns. His skin was white as well, and a broken, horn like decoration of at he side of his head. He was dressed in robes decorated with magatamas.

"You," Eon snarled. Madara's lips formed into a wicked grin.

"Me," he said. He glanced at Ryuusuke's body.

"I see you managed to catch him before he got turned into mush," Madara commented. He earned a glare from the other four quite immediately. He turned to look at them, an indifferent expression now on his face.

"Everyone is now inside the divine tree, dreaming their own idyllic dream. I have become the saviour that ended the long history fighting between shinobi," Madara paused slightly, taking in the other ninja's distraught expression.

"It's over," he said.

A new chakra came rushing towards them. Eon was about to alarm the others before a black hand shoved itself through Madara's chest, right through his heart.

"You're wrong Madara, you're not the saviour," a dark, raspy voice said. Eon got a closer look at the figure. A black being, covering the half of a random shinobi, smiled evilly as he leaned closer to Madara.

"Kaguya is," 

\-----

Eon and Yuki exchanged a worried glance as the ground started shaking again. Suddenly, massive burst of chakra shot out from the ground, crashing into Madara as he was forced to absorb tons of chakra.

"He's absorbing the chakra from those trapped by the Divine Tree!" Sasuke exclaimed as he drew his sword, entering a defensive position.

Eon and Yuki rushed ahead, intent on finding way to stop Madara from absorbing more chakra. As they got closer, hair-like tendrils shot out from Madara, wrapping around the two painfully.

Madara's body was beginning to grow strangely, bubbles of white flesh and hair continuing to grow as the black creature – Zetsu, Eon had picked up – began to grow around Madara. The strange bubbling mass that had become Madara started to lift into the air.

"If he absorbs more chakra, he's going to explode!" Sasuke shoutder from underneath them.

 _Great._ Eon thought sarcastically.

Madara's bubbling and ever-expanding body grew more and more as he continued to rise. The mass started to even out, and soon it began to shrink and take shape. Horns grew out on top, and the hair evened out into a smooth, silk like appearance. An eye which were tilted ninety degrees opened, showing a red rinnegan with several magatamas on the circles.

Pale, pearl colored eyes opened underneath. As Eon took a more general look, she now saw a woman – a very beautiful woman – who she quickly figured out was Kaguya. The sage of the six path's mother and a potential world threat.

The tendrils of hair that held herself and Yuki suddenly hurled them away. Eon crashed painfully into the ground, Yuki not landing far away from her. Quickly afterwards, a wave of hair shot towards them. Eon tried to form a Susanoo in time, however the hair came too quickly, and her unfinished susanoo wavered under the force of the attack. She was pushed harshly backwards, crashing into debris from the cave collapse, Yuki suffering the same fate. Kaguya flew towards them slowly, she was hovering centimetres over the ground, making it look like she was just gliding over it.

"Indra... and Ashura..." She mumbled as she stared at Eon and Yuki. Eon swallowed, anxiety slowly building up in her. She heard Sasuke trying to reason with Kaguya, but the goddess dismissed him quickly.

Suddenly, there was no ground underneath them. A wave of heat crashed into her as Eon found herself falling towards an ocean of lava. A curse escaped her as she channelled chakra to her cursed seal. Shadow wings erupted from her back, stopping her from falling. She quickly found Yuki, who was levitating as well. Not by wings, no, golden chakra had surrounded her, her clothing being replaced by a golden battle kimono with eight black balls in a circle behind her. The obi for the kimono was black, with golden magatama patterns. On the collar of the kimono, the same pattern framed the edges, though with black magatamas instead. Her eyes were golden, but her skin colour remained the same. Her hair had also turned golden, and unlike Ryuusuke's tailed beast mode, the chakra seemd just like a normal layer, rather than a flame like substance that Ryuusuke had.

Ropes of chakra connected with her back, holding Kousuke, Sasuke and Ryuusuke's body. She created three shadow clones, sending them to hold each body in the air rather than using the ropes.

Suddenly, they were back in the normal world, once again hovering over the battle ridden area. Eon felt herself getting a tad bit more annoyed. It didn't help that Kaguya had to make the entire fight much more confusing than it had to be.

Kaguya looked at them, like she was remembering something before her eyebrows furrowed, a furious look decorating her once beautiful face.

"All chakra... belongs to me!!" She exclaimed and rushed forward, a thundering chakra forming around her. Yuki's eyes widened, she rushed a bit forward, standing in front of the group as a large mass of golden chakra formed a thick wall in front of them. Kaguya's chakra crashed into Yuki's, a bright light blinded everyone, giving the world a white hue. Eon could barely see Yuki's shadow in front of her. Golden chakra suddenly wrapped around Eon's waist, throwing her up into the air. Eon grinned, her white susanoo erupting into its complete form, large swords forming in her hands as the chakra clash between Yuki and Kaguya exploded, sending Yuki and the rest of the group backwards. Eon rushed down, slashing her swords at Kaguya.

Kaguya somehow blocked it. Propably with chakra, but Eon couldn't say for sure. Kaguya got pushed down, landing on the ground with an unnatural grace. Kaguya suddenly started to glow with chakra, the swords from the susanoo which were still connected with her began to melt, taking the entire being with them.

Eon suddenly fell towards the ground, and Yuki who had finally regained her bearings from the blast shot towards her. Eon cursed, feeling that the susanoo and the curse mark didn't react, her chakra was bust for some reason. A black platform formed underneath her, and Eon landed there with a grunt. Yuki arrived next to her a moment afterwards, a sigh escaping her as she looked over Eon to check for any external damage.

"You had me worried there!" Yuki said, a notable distress in her voice. Eon smiled wryly in reply, feeling her chakra beginning to return to her.

They turned to look at Kaguya, who was staring at them completely unbothered by the transpiring events. A black, large - almost pixelated wall formed in front of her. She disappeared behind it. Eon felt her body freeze, completely immovable. She turned to look to her side, seeing Yuki in a similar predicament. An unkown force began to turn them around forcefully, and as they got to look at what was behind them, they could see Kaguya's unrelenting gaze. Her hands were outstretched, making connection with Eon and Yuki. A black mass began to cover their closest sides. Eon looked at Kaguya, who had suddenly began crying. Not sobbing, her face seemed emotionless as ever, but tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"It seems like Mother is reminded of her sons," a sinister voice sounded. Eon could see that the black mass covering her left side was much like that of Black Zetsu. She wanted to curse again, but the immobility prevented it from happening. _Dammit._

 _"_ He's draining our chakra," Yuki uttered out.

"Her story is not important to you, seeing as you already know most of it already... mother falling in love with a human, giving birth to her two sons, sharing her chakra with them – in the end she gave birth to the shinobi world as you know it, but her sons decided to turn against her and seal her in the moon, splitting her chakra into the nine pieces you call tailed beasts. But, the entire history of the shinobi world, is a history about reviving mother," Black Zetsu said. "Everything that has happened, has been by her plan to be revived, with me editing things like the Uchiha tablet, driving Madara for power – the Uchiha massacre, Akatsuki, the civil war in Kirigakure, it was all me," He continued.

Eon gasped as the black mass retracted, releasing her and Yuki from the annoying immobility.

Kaguya was moving away from them, getting some distance.

"Eon... I have a plan," Yuki said. Eon raised an eyebrow. Honestly, Uzumakis with plans seemed less and less likely as she got to know the family. "Be ready," Yuki continued.

Eon nodded, activating her rinne sharingan properly. She channeled chakra to her rinnegan as she sent a wave of amaterasu flames towards Kaguya. Yuki came speeding right after it, her hands crossing as she made a couple of shadow clones. She closed her eyes as she tried her best to remember, channeling chakra into a technique she hadn't used since the academy.

"Henge!" She exclaimed. She had always had trouble with this technique. Her massive chakra reserves made it difficult for her to control, not to the same degree as Ryuusuke, who had the chakra reserves in addition to the kyuubi, but nonetheless a troublesome technique.

Yuki found herself looking like the Sage of the Six Paths, hoping for her life that Kaguya wouldn't just get super pissed and smite her. Kaguya's eyes widened in surprise. Her stupor was enough, Yuki rushed forward, channelling chakra to her fist as she slammed it into Kaguya's jaw, sending the goddess backwards at record speed. Yuki dispelled the henge, a deep sigh escaping her. She was sick of fighting strong opponents.

She turned around, rushing back towards Eon.

"Eon, now!" She screamed as she outstretched her hand. Eon did the same. Kaguya appeared between them, the sun and moon seal inching closer to her body. Almost there - and then she was frozen in ice. A shiver ran down Yuki's spine. The degrees had dropped from boiling to freezing in a millisecond.

Yuki suddenly realized that she herself was also incased in ice, she saw Eon was suffering the same fate as well. Was this Kaguya's ability? Or one of them anyway. Kaguya suddenly appeared through one of those black portals again. The black Zetsu beings came out from her sleeves again as she outstretched her arms, intending on sucking out Eon and Yuki's chakra again. Eon narrowed her eyes as amaterasu appeared in the ice, buring around her. Kaguya sped up, and so did Eon.

As Kaguya was about to steal their chakra, Eon's amaterasu exploded around the ice, making Kaguya shoot backwards and the ice around them being crushed into pieces.

"They are annoying, shouldn't we split them apart?" Black zetsu said from Kaguya's sleeve. A black portal appeared by Kaguya's side again.

"Eon, watch out," Yuki said. Eon scoffed slightly.

"I could say the same to you," she replied with a smirk.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Eon's hood, yanking her backwards. A chain shot out from Yuki grabbing Eon's leg and shooting her forwards, away from the portal. Kaguya – who was holding Eon's hood, shot out from the portal with her. Kaguya let go of Eon, the latter being drawn back to Yuki again.

"Told you," Yuki said teasingly. Eon huffed in annoyance. She didn't like to get tossed around.

Suddenly, one of the black balls like those Yuki had appeared behind Kaguya, surrounded by the whitish mass Kaguya had transformed from which shaped into the heads of the bijuu, though ever changing. The ball began to grow in size, absorbing the white chakra as it continued to grow.

"That thing is made of the same thing as mine – if it absorbs the entire place we won't be able to return" Yuki said. Eon looked around her carefully.

"Then we have to seal her before that happens," Eon said. Yuki created a group of shadow clones. She looked at Eon, who nodded quickly. Yuki and Eon flew towards Kaguya. Kaguya shot forwards, her speed much greater than before.

Suddenly, an arrow of black flames shot Kaguya down, forcing her to a halt. Yuki spent a glance looking upwards, seeing Sasuke in his purple Susanoo in all its glory. Kousuke was with him in the protected area. Yuki shot out her hand, trying to connect with Kaguya. A rod of a rock like substance appeared in Kaguya's hand, she slammed it into Eon's stomach. Eon's surprised look etched into Yuki's memory. Then, a cloud of smoke appeared around Eon, as it disappeared, it revealed a shadow clone of Yuki.

Another rod was aimed towards the real Yuki, but a kunai shot it out from Kaguya's hand. Then, Eon switched places with the Yuki clone, who was slowly turning into rock. They inched closer, almost touching Kaguya before the goddess flew upwards.

A familiar voice roared. Eon looked upwards in surprise. There, Ryuusuke came crashing down, golden chakra surrounding his fist as he smashed it into Kaguya's head, sending her right down. Eon and Yuki's hands connected with her.

Kaguya's eyes widened, the rinnegan on her forehead began to turn white, with a black moon covering it, looking like Eon and Yuki's symbols put together. A shrill scream escaped the goddess as the black orb behind them crushed into pieces, as did the world beneath them. Yuki grabbed Ryuusuke's falling body, he was pretty cold still, but it was probably just the winter world they were in.

Sasuke came towards them, with an unconscious Kousuke by his side. He dispelled the Susanoo as Yuki created another platform of the black orbs for them to stand on. Kaguya transformed back into the strange white mass, with forms of the nine bijuu shooting out, leaving a frail and thin mass behind. The tailed beasts – taking their original shapes – landed on the ground. Kaguya, or whatever that was, was crushed between the rocks and debris the crushing of the large black orb and the world created, trapping her in an orb much like the planetary devestation.

As the mini planet stopped growing, the group landed on the ground.

"It's finally over," Yuki said. She let a relived laugh out as she looked at the group. Then, she whipped to look at Ryuusuke.

"You were dead!" She shouted. Ryuusuke bit his lip.

"He is still dead, I'm Kousuke," Ryuusuke said. The body sank together, crashing to the ground as Kousuke's body regained conscious.

"I recently developed the Yamanaka mind technique to the point where I can access their jutsu. I myself am not a fighter, and Sasuke and I figured that we had to do whatever we could to help you. Though... Ryuusuke is dead in body, like his heart isn't beating or anything, but for some reason his mind is still there - I felt its presence. I couldn't access it however, he was locked away somehow. In addition, I couldn't hold it very long, a stronger force was pushing me out," Kousuke explained. He looked at them, slightly ashamed. Yuki looked disturbed, sad even, but Eon was glaring at him. She marched over, grabbing his shirt as she shook him harshly.

"Don't you **dare** do that again," she growled. Kousuke nodded quickly, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead as he swallowed his nervousness down.

"But the bijuu – we can reseal them!" Yuki exclaimed suddenly. The group turned to look at the Bijuu, who had gathered around them.

" **We are connected to Ryuusuke still, you don't need to seal us. We can go in on our own** ," the nine-tails said. He looked at Ryuusuke's body, his eyes shadowed. " **But we should wait until we come back** ," he said.

"Speaking of, how are we supposed to get back?" Sasuke asked. The group blinked at each other.

"I don't really know," Yuki said. Eon scoffed slightly but shrugged as welll.

"I haven't got any techniques like that," Eon said.

" **Don’t worry, the old man got it,"** The three-tails said.

"The old man?" Kousuke asked. Suddenly, the group was dragged into a teleportation technique. As they regained their bearings, they found themselves back in the battle ridden area where they had been at first. Around them was Kakashi, Obito, the other kage, several Uzu ninja that Eon recognised as those Ryuusuke had briefly introduced as his closest and the sage of the six paths.

"What? How can you be here?" Eon asked. The sage gave her a smile in reply.

"Does it matter?" He asked. Eon was about to retort when Obito came rushing towards them. He crushed Yuki and Eon in a hug, Kakashi coming to watch a moment afterwards.

"Don't you dare save the world by yourself ever again! Do you know how worried I was? You are going to give me grey hairs before I turn forty I swear!" Obito exclaimed.

"Sorry," Yuki said with a smile. Kakashi's gaze fell on Ryuusuke.

"What happened?" He asked quickly as he crouched by Ryuusuke's body. Eon and Yuki glanced at each other.

"...the bijuu got extracted from him, we don't really know how. Madara just tossed him like that to us," Eon said quickly. She didn't really want to relive the experience.

The sage of the six paths floated over to them, looking at Ryuusuke with narrowed eyes.

"Ryuusuke is still saveable. Kurama?" He turned to look at the nine-tails. The bijuu looked away for a moment. The old sage smiled.

"Ryuusuke is a meeting spot for all of you, there are still remains of everyone's chakra within him. In addition, the seal I created for him will be able to make sure that none of you will ever be held against your will again. He is a true jinchuuriki – the only container that can keep you safe from evil intent," the sage said. "You have to re-enter his body before he can release you again, but I would like if you could remain with him as a guardian of that meeting space. In addition, you know what the effects of this will be, we would have someone to keep him company until he recovers, no?" The sage said. He looked at Kurama with a fond smile.

" **It doesn't help that Kurama has totally adopted the kid,"** The two-tails piped in. The nine-tailed fox turned to glare at the flaming blue cat.

" **Shut it, Matatabi,"** He growled. After a moment, he let out a deep rumble. " **Fine, I will remain within the twerp,"** He said. The sage nodded, before Kurama disappeared in a golden flash. The other bijuu followed soon after, leaving the remaining ninja with the old sage. Yuki hurried over to Ryuusuke, green chakra hovering around her hands as she checked him. A choked laughter escaped her as tears began rolling down her face.

"It's beating! He's ailve!" She said happily. Eon rushed over to her side, checking with the best of her ability to get her own confirmation. It wasn't often Eon showed weakness, but for her friends she would always have the ability to weep. Ryuusuke and Yuki weren't her friends alone either, they were her family. They had a stronger connection than anyone.

\---

They had moved Ryuusuke back to Uzu's hospital, being the only city that went completely unaffected by the war. Despite the days that had gone by, Ryuusuke had remained in deep sleep. Sakura had been checking on him every day, being the best medic nin alive. Apparently, she had managed to surpass Tsunade during the war. Eon found herself impressed, she had not really expected much of Sakura when they were in a team together.

Ryuusuke was stable, nevertheless, which was good. Though Eon wished he would wake up soon.

When she returned to Konoha, she was pleased to find that the city hadn't been too badly affected, but it had been attacked by a small army of white zetsu. She and Yachi had caught up with each other while they helped around with village repairs. She found herself enjoying his company, and Yachi had become less nervous around her as well, which was nice.

Yuki and Kousuke had officially started dating, which was weird. Eon was used to it being her, Yuki and Ryuusuke, despite them being away from each other for such a long time. Yet, it was a pleasant change. Though she was sure to thoroughly threaten Kousuke to make sure he wouldn't hurt Yuki. She was pretty sure Ryuusuke would do the same.

She went to Uzu occasionally, not only to check up on Ryuusuke, but to finalize the deal between Konoha and Uzu and their agreement to be closely unified villages.

She had also been chosen to monitor Sasuke for Konoha, as he had chosen to stay with Itachi in Uzu, but the Konoha council still wanted to have eyes on them, and Obito also wanted to make sure that his remaining family was okay.

Uzu in general however, was dormant. No one dared to do anything while their kage was out of commission. They dind't dare to think of electing a new kage. They couldn't – because the new one wouldn't be able to control the Vault's seal. Itachi was managing things, as he knew how Ryuusuke usually did his work, but nothing more.

-

Ryuusuke released a frustrated scream. He was just seeing dark. There was no end to it! It was driving him mad! He didn't know where he was, not what had happened.

With further thought, what was he even looking for?

Another scream wanted to erupt, but he held it back. He knew he was looking for something, or at least someone. There was something wrong about this place.

Ryuusuke stopped his pacing. He couldn't really figure out a way out of this. He didn't even know why he wanted to get out in the first place. He didn't know what the hell he was going to do.

Speaking of... who was he?

-

Yuki had not been looking forward to the conversation she was going to have with her mother when she come back to Konoha. She had been required to stay at Uzu's hospital and help with the wounded. As she travelled back to Konoha with Eon, the conversation ahead continued to be a dread in her stomach.

Eon wasn't faring much better, as she knew Hamako would not spare her either.

As the gates of Konoha came into view, it didn't take long before Yuki and Eon could see the deep red hair of Yuki's mother. As they got closer, the elder Uzumaki came rushing towards them. Not even having the time to blink, Yuki and Eon got captured in a bone crushing hug.

"Don't you _ever_ go off to war again! Yuki – you've taken at least fifty years of my life! Do you know how worried I was when I heard you had gone missing?! And you Eon! Wounding yourself so badly! Also going missing! I can't believe you! And then you go to Uzu for the first days? What about me! Both of you are staying in this village until I say differently! Eon – you are going to go straight back to your aunt and uncle and profusely apologize for the trouble you have caused them! And if you ever go missing in action or get hurt in a mission again there will be hell to pay! And also remember to stop by for dinner tomorrow, okay?" Hamako rambled into their ears as tears trailed down her cheeks. A relieved laugh escaped her as she hugged the two teens tighter.

"And Ryuusuke? How is he?" She asked after she regained her composure. "I heard about his coma, but other than that, any changes?" Eon and Yuki shook their heads in reply.

"He remains in the same state, Sakura and Tsunade agreed that it probably was because of the stress his body was put through. He was very exhausted even before we defeated Madara and Sasuke, and didn't really get the rest. In that exhaustion the tailed beasts got extracted, and he was clinically dead for a long time, and then the tailed beasts went back in and his body got revived. They say that the stress is keeping him under," Yuki explained.

"I see," Hamako said. Her frown turned into a soft smile quickly. "He's an Uzumaki, and Kushina and Minato's son, he will get through this. Besides, he has you two," Hamako said. Eon and Yuki returned her smile with grins of their own.

\--

Sakura watched Ryuusuke's motionless form. She had been with him every day since they returned him to Uzu. She found it unfair. Ryuusuke had been adamant on not entering the war so that he could spare the lives of his people, and when he entered he was so afraid of losing them. Yet, the only person who got lasting problems was him. There were people who died and had grave wounds, but with today's medical resources everyone was able to get a normal life quickly.

She had done occasional work around the hospital, but Obito had allowed her to stay in Uzu until Ryuusuke had recovered. Not only for her, but for the ones who had to go back to Konoha. She wasn't completely sure what was keeping Ryuusuke under, not really. She hoped it was stress, and that it would go away as the days went by.

It had been a month.

The anxiety of it all had been eating on her around the clock, and in the end she found herself sitting by his bedside, not really sure what she was supposed to do. She exchanged letters with Ino and Yuki a lot, making sure to keep Ryuusuke's team and the rest of the Konoha 12 updated.

She was worried. If Ryuusuke didn't wake up in a close future, his body could suffer from it. It would be difficult for him to return to his job as Uzukage, someone who was supposed to be the strongest of them all.

A breath she din't know she had been holding escaped her. She moved over to Ryuusuke's bedside, grabbing his hand softly. She was somewhat glad that she wasn't on the battlefield when he died. She didn't know if she could handle that.

She and Ryuusuke's relationship had been somewhat difficult to describe. As her time in Uzu went on, she and Ryuusuke grew closer and closer. She couldn't deny still having a crush on him since childhood, but the crush had grown into something deeper. It was an unspoken thing, as Ryuusuke himself wasn't really sure how to describe it either. But the lingering touches, the gazes – everything about them had grown closer. She had more often found herself in Ryuusuke's arms as night came, Ryuusuke telling her to stay with him. She wasn't sure in the beginning if he just wanted company, but she was more and more certain that it was Ryuusuke's way of testing the waters. It was fine for her, she could wait.

Now, the man she had so obviously fallen for was in a coma, and she couldn't make herself leave his bedside. Not unless absolutely necessary.

"Wake up," she whispered.

-

Ryuusuke stared ahead of himself. He felt empty. He couldn't recall anything, not that it bothered him either. It was... empty.

 **"Kit,"** A dark voice sounded from the darkness. Ryuusuke looked around, bewildered.

"Who's there?" He asked. A sharp pain stung in the back of his head. He felt himself getting pulled somewhere. Panic ran through him, he tried his best to find something to hold onto.

The pulling stopped, and the low rumble of the voice he had heard earlies had disappeared. A sigh escaped him. At least he somewhat understood the darkness, he didn't want to get dragged anywhere.

-

Sakura jumped as movement from the bed shook her out of her sleep. She sped over to Ryuusuke's bedside, grabbing his hand as she saw him move strangely. His eyes snapped open, revealing red, slit eyes. The birthmarks on his cheeks deepened as well. He met Sakura's worried look.

" **You're Sakura, right?"** A deep voice asked. Sakura jumped backwards, entering a protective stance.

"Who are you?" She asked. Ryuusuke – or whoever it was – sat up in the bed.

 **"I'm the nine-tailed fox,"** He replied. Sakura blinked, trying to digest the new information.

"What?" She asked.

 **"Ryuusuke's mental space is shared by himself and us tailed beasts, at the moment we are all trapped inside of him. He is supposed to be there, but his mental form is flickering – showing signs that his mind is actually very close to being dead,"** The Kyuubified Ryuusuke said.

"That's bad!" Sakura exclaimed.

" **Obviously,"** The kyuubified Ryuusuke deadpanned.

"And how do you suggest we get him out?" Sakura asked.

" **The kit was present – just for a moment, when you talked to him and held his hand. I'm not really sure why, or if that is necessary what it takes, but I believe that people close to him making contact can make it possible for him to reach us tailed beasts in his mental space, at least so we can talk to him and knock him back into awareness. Though, it might be easier if you entered his mind as well,"** The Kyuubified Ryuusuke explained.

"A Yamanaka then," Sakura summarized. "I will send word to Yuki, she will bring a Yamanaka and Eon with her, they are the people closest to him after all," Sakura said. The kyuubified Ryuusuke nodded.

" **Make it quick,"** he said. He laid back down on the pillow, closing his eyes as he once again looked completely unbotherd. Sakura grabbed Ryuusuke's hand again.

"Wait for me," she whispered.

-

When Eon got word from Yuki that something had transpired with Ryuusuke, and that they along with Kousuke had to go to Uzu as soon as possible, she had probably not been so efficient to get into her mission gear in her life. She had met up with Yuki a solid five minutes afterwards, Yuki being ready as well. Kousuke came a little later, to the two girls' annoyance. Yachi had come along with him.

The seal to Uzu was only used in special occasions, but as Sakura had sent Roshi, one of Ryuusuke's closer comrades, they could use the seal to go back to Uzu. To say that the run to the hospital was extremely long, was an understatement. It felt like an eternity.

Not only did they actually have to wait in the reception due to the receptionist really being thorough with who was allowed to visit the unconscious kage. Sakura came to get them as soon as she heard that they had arrived.

"The nine-tails possessed his body to inform me that Ryuusuke's mind is on the verge of collapse, it could be a symptom of the stress me and Master Tsunade explained to you about keeping him in a coma, but rather than the stress being the part that keeps him, it's the fact that his mind is refusing to work properly, sort of," Sakura said as she led them to Ryuusuke's room.

"Apparently, Ryuusuke's mind was present in the mind space he shares with the tailed beasts when I talked to him not long ago, some sort of catalyst I suppose. However, he believes that more contact from people close to Ryuu could help him, so that the bijuu can keep his mind in the mind space so that they can get him back into consciousness. He said that it could be easier if we entered the space directly, hence why Kousuke is here," Sakura continued. She opened the door to Ryuusuke's room, revealing the sleeping kage along with Itachi and Gaara.

"Kousuke, I presume you know the technique to send a group of people into someone's mind?" Sakura asked. Kousuke nodded, albeit somewhat nervously.

"Please hold hands, I need to connect with you somehow... I need to have a clear hold on Ryuusuke's head. He could rest his head on my lap or something if he needs to lay down," Kousuke said. The preparations were made quickly, and soon Kousuke found himself crossed legged on the bed, with Ryuusuke's head resting on a pillow on his lap. He held Ryuusuke's head with one hand, his other holding Yuki's who were the first person in a chain of many.

"Are all of you ready?" He asked. The group nodded. Kousuke took a deep breath, channelling chakra as he made a one-handed hand seal.

-

Yuki wasn't really sure what she expected when she entered Ryuusuke's mind, but when she opened her eyes she was met with a dimly lit hall. Eon, Kousuke, Sakura, Itachi and Gaara were with er.

The walls were made of grey bricks, though they had many cracks and water was leaking through, making them stand in water that reached them to their calves. The light reflected of the water, giving the area a bluish hue. The walls stretched upwards into an orb like shape, with a huge hole in the roof. Underneath that hole was a large tree, it was huge. It was very far away from them, as the light from the hole didn't quite reach them.

Kousuke began walking, the hall was leading them out into the large area where the tree was, but he was looking very concerned as he closely looked at the walls.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asked.

"I knew you mentioned that Ryuusuke had a rough childhood but... I didn't expect this," Kousuke said.

"What do you mean?" Eon asked.

"This is the mind space, a somewhat physical representation of the mind. The state of the area represents the state of mind. Ryuusuke has a somewhat calm mind, as the large tree symbolized a massive growth, in addition to the hole letting sunshine in showing that he's breaking free from something. But the amount of cracks and leaking water shows that there are many underlying issues that he has buried, a usual sign of extreme childhood trauma," Kousuke explained. "At least it doesn't seem like it's a huge issue anymore, since he has the sunshine and tree in the centre. It means he has a happier current state of mind," Kousuke continued.

"He does have a history of isolation but taking in the kidnapping from after the chuunin exam I guess things could worsen," Eon stated. Kousuke shook his head.

"We haven't entered the later part of his mind yet, this is a hallway based around on his younger childhood, I'd say from around six to eight," Kousuke continued.

"It was during this time Ryuusuke was more aggressive against people," Itachi explained. "He told me about getting into fights a lot, sometimes voluntarily, other times not," he continued. "The hokage put an end to it around the time he was nine,"

"Anyway, we shouldn't linger. The center of Ryuusuke's mind scape is under that tree, he should technically be there," Kousuke said.

The group walked in silence, only the water shifting around them with a muffled sound was heard. Yuki found the blue hue somewhat pretty, as the light reflecting from the water gave off a beautiful pattern on the walls.

They were finally out from the hall, now finding themselves in a massive round room. The tree in the center was huge, and underneath it they could now see the nine tailed beasts gathered. The nine-tails was laying lazily at the base of the tree, while the four and two-tails were up in the branches. The one-tails was with the five-tails a little further behind the tree. The six-tails and eight-tails were sitting quite formally next to the tree, as if they were greeting the group. The seven-tails was hovering above the top of the tree.

As they got closer, they could see that the nine-tails was laying around something, almost protectively. A little in front of him, they could see what looked like a person meditating. The form was flickering, and almost invisible. Had Yuki not been so attentive to the details in here, she might not have noticed.

" **You have arrived,"** The nine-tails drawled.

"How can we help?" Yuki asked immediately. The fox's eyes travelled over them. Yuki was still surprised by the size of it, she was almost shorter than the length of his eyeball.

" **That twerp's form is still here, make contact with him and just... say something, I don't know,"** The fox said gruffly.

Sakura walked over. Yuki was somewhat surprised, as she could feel her hesitation of getting too close to the fox build up within her. Yet, Sakura walked right up to Ryuusuke's form, crouching down in front of him as she placed her hand gently on his.

"Ryuu," she whispered. "I'm here," she said. Ryuusuke's form flared slightly, a more prominent color appearing before disappearing as quickly as it came. This made Yuki and Eon hurry forwards, Kousuke and the rest following.

"Ryuu! We're waiting for you, you know? Hamako is really worried as well!" Eon said.

"Obito-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are also worried! We've all been waiting for you to wake up! This isn't the time to take a nap," Yuki said softly as she grabbed Ryuusuke's other hand, Eon placing hers on his shoulder.

"I thought I taught you better than to oversleep, perhaps I wasn't a strict master as I wanted to be," Itachi said, standing close by.

"Ryuusuke," Gaara said. "When I met you during the chuunin exam, I thought you were some kind of cruel joke to my existence. But you proved to me that even a jinchuuriki can find friends – can find love. Never have you been stronger than when you are with your friends, and now they are waiting for you again! What are you waiting for?" Gaara said as he placed his hand on Ryuusuke's other shoulder.

 **"I'm waiting too, you know!"** The Kyuubi said loudly.

Ryuusuke's form flickered faster and faster. For a brief moment, Yuki thought she saw him open his eyes. Then, suddenly – the roof that had been broken before began to fall down completely. Sunlight burst into the hall, at a much larger degree than before. A bright orange sky, with red and pink hues within it flared to life, clear blue water replacing the dark and cold water that had been there before. Yuki took a deep breath, it was beautiful. They looked at Ryuusuke, who's form was still flickering.

\--

Ryuusuke stared at the bright light that had appeared not far away from him. Voices he recognised yet didn't remember had spoken to him again. The dark voice from before had returned for a moment as well. He shuddered. A part of him was scared, he just wanted to rest and surrender himself to the darkness, yet another part of him was urging him to go to the light, to the voices. A dark voice sounded in his head.

"They don't really want you... remember when they all hated you? Do you really want to go back to that?"

"...no, no I don't," Ryuusuke whispered.

"You dream that they will acknowledge you for who you are – but guess what? They acknowledge you only for your power! For the fact that you are a jinchuuriki! On your own, you are nothing!" The voice purred in his ear. Ryuusuke shook his head.

He could see them. Their faces. The looks of hatred that followed him on the streets, the whispering and hollow laughters. The times when he was a kid when some people would come to rough him up just for the heck of it or vandalize his apartment because they knew there would be no consequences.

"Just surrender to me..." The voice hummed. Ryuusuke looked up in front of him. He could see himself there, but his sclera was black, with red eyes instead of blue.

"you are..." Ryuusuke whispered.

"That's right, I am you. The _real_ you. The you who didn't turn his back on his past, who know that no matter what he does – they will still be afraid of you!" The dark Ryuusuke said. "Do you even know anyone who doesn't think like that?" He asked.

Ryuusuke stared at him. He was trying to come up with something. A vision popped up in his mind. A group of people, it was somewhat blurry. One in the back had gravity defying white hair at least, and he wore dark blue and green clothing. The person next to him was dressed the same, but with black hair. In front of the two was three others, two of them pretty noticable as they both sported pink hair, yet one of them had a softer color, and it was somewhat short and curly. The other person had longer hair, smoother, and a stronger pink color.

"I... I must know someone," Ryuusuke said. The Dark Ryuusuke laughed loudly.

"No, you don't!" The dark Ryuusuke mocked. Parts of him began to turn into a black smoke, flying towards Ryuusuke before the now black mass surrounded him, choking him. Ryuusuke felt a sob tear through him as his body racked with pain.

 _He is right._ Ryuusuke thought. _I'm alone..._

Tears began to fall from his eyes as another sob escaped him. He felt himself fall to the ground, crouching down as he held himself tightly. He pressed his eyes tightly together. He felt so tired, so done. Why would he even try to get up again?

"Ryuusuke" a soft voice sounded. Ryuusuke snapped his eyes open. Around him was a golden area, along with some other colourful hues. Ryuusuke looked up, finding a woman dressed in a green dress with a white blouse underneath. Deep red, waist-long hair fell gracefully down her back, her eyes a deep ocean blue.

"...mom?" He croaked out.

Ryuusuke scurried to his feet, pushing himself clumsily forward as he buried his head in his mother's shoulder.

"How are you here? What is going on?" Ryuusuke sobbed as he felt his mother stroke his back gently.

"When your father sealed the kyuubi in you, he put a part of my chakra within the seal that would make me appear before you when you tried controlling the kyuubi chakra, however with some tampering with the seal it malfunctioned. This time, I'm here to remind you that there are people waiting for you outside of this place," Kushina said.

"...I... I don't know what to do," Ryuusuke whispered. Kushina laughed softly.

"You need to return to them, you still have so much to live for," Kushina replied.

"I don't want to leave you," Ryuusuke looked up, meeting his mother's gentle look and soft smile.

"Ryuusuke... my chakra will fade eventually. Out there, all your friends are waiting, your family," Kushina said. Ryuusuke brought his arms around her, squeezing as he felt tears continued to fall.

"I want you to know that both me and my father loved you immensely, and we will continue to do so in the afterlife too," Kushina mumbled. "But, outside of your mind is everything me and my father wanted you to have," Kushina hugged him closely. "Life, friends, love, experiences – a family," she used one hand to ruffle his hair softly.

"Ryuusuke, you have to go back!" Kushina said, she made him look at him, giving him a wide grin. "A jinchuuriki can also live happily when filled with love, I know! That's what I did! And remember to eat well, and don't stop studying! Make sure you take care of yourself and your friends! And -" Kushina got interrupted by Ryuusuke jumping into her arms again, snuggling closer for a moment before withdrawing. He met Kushina's eyes with a determined look, sporting a confident smile.

"Mom, thank you," He said. Kushina narrowed her eyes slightly. There was something about his look.

Ryuusuke took a deep breath, closing his eyes calmly. When he opened them again, he was back in the darkness. The bright light in front of him was still there. He could still feel the lingering sensation of his mother's touch, the emotion that followed filling him with courage as he hurried forwards. When he entered the light, a pulling sensation tossed him into... well somewhere. His vision darkened, and consciousness soon left him.

…

A deep and sudden breath flew into his lungs. Ryuusuke snapped his eyes open. He found himself in one of Uzu's hospital room, and he was laying on... Kousuke's lap? Why was the Yamanaka holding his face? And why was everyone gathered around him like he was some sort of sacred object? Puzzlement wasn't hidden on his face as he gently moved his hand to move Kousuke's, but found it shaking and very weak. Numbness was in his entire body, and he wasn't sure if he could actually feel his legs properly.

 **"They're in your mind kit, want me to push them out?"** Kurama said.

"Don't worry about it, Kurama," Ryuusuke replied. "I'll push them out myself," he closed his eyes for a moment, making contact with his mental space. Sure, he felt the chakra of Kousuke connecting with his mind. A push, and it was gone.

Gasps and bewildered looks decorated the others in the room.

"Could you remove your hand, Kousuke," Ryuusuke said, not as a question. The Yamanaka moved his hand absentmindedly.

"Ryuu!" Three voices said in unison. Sakura suddenly crushed him in a hug, Yuki joining them by hugging Ryuusuke gently on the other side of Sakura. Eon was by his side, looking at him intensly, the same analytic gaze as always.

"How long was I out? What happened with the war?" Ryuusuke asked. The people in the room looked at each other, somewhat uncertain.

"It's a long story..."

-

It took Ryuusuke six months of rehablitation to get back to his usual strength. During his month in a coma, he had lost sixty percent of his bodily strength. During this period, he had been working on a massive fuinjutsu project that he refused to tell anyone about.

A year after the war, he and Sakura had become closer than ever, and by the time they were nineteen, they had gotten married. During that year, Akahiko was born. Ryuusuke's first born. A boy with deep red hair and dark blue eyes. Ryuusuke was somewhat surprised, not by the fact that Yuki and Kousuke got a daughter at the same age as Akahiko, but that Eon got a son with Yachi. _Yachi._ Ryuusuke didn't know the guy well, but he didn't really know that Eon was romantically inclined at all. Yuki had been somewhat obvious about it, but Eon's relationship had gone completely unnoticed by him. Perhaps he should have threatened Yachi as he did with Kousuke...

Anyway, the Uzu academy was up an running, and one of Ryuusuke's student from the war, a genin named Sasaki Kenji. He was the last survivor of a clan of a long-lost bloodline.

Uzu was propsering, and Ryuusuke along with the Kaminarimon company had decided to make something they called a train. It was be in Konoha mostly at first, but they wanted to make a direct train track between Uzu and Konoha.

Ryuusuke was never truly able to get rid of a pain in his leg. It wasn't unbearable, but it eased when he didn't put too much pressure on it. So, Sakura had gotten him a cane. He argued that he seemed at least forty years older than he was, but Sakura wouldn't budge.

In the morning, looking at the sunrise with Akahiko on his arm, Ryuusuke knew;

It was time for the next generation.


End file.
